


A King For Tonight's Fentertainment

by GothMoth



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Blood, Comedy, Gen, Ghost King Danny, Let Danny say fuck, Minor Injuries, danny's a little shit, into the ghost zone, not a field trip fic, the whole town in the ghost zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-07-29 20:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20088175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMoth/pseuds/GothMoth
Summary: Most kings homes are inside their kingdoms, but that is exactly where Danny doesn’t want his.





	1. In Pixie Dust We Do Not Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But, as per usual, the GIW have to mess everything up

Danny groans as he looks out the Casper High classroom window, groaning again as he places his chin on his hand. Glaring out at the white jet in the sky, “now what are those GIW idiots flying around for?”. Danny squints at what appears to be sparkling blue powder coming out of, or off of?, the jet, “oh fuck, goddamnit”, groaning exaggeratedly and muttering under his breath, “why couldn’t it have just been Skulkie or Boxy instead?”, as he raises his hand. 

“You can’t go to the bathroom, Mr. Fenton. But I’m sure you’ll leave anyway”.

Danny smirks as he stands but promptly has to grip the edge of the desk as the whole damn building shakes. Muttering, “oh great, it’s something fast-acting. Wonderful. Love it. Absolutely perfect. Couldn’t have asked for anything better. Fuck my very existence”. Meanwhile, the rest of the class erupts into screaming as the building continues to shake.

“Quiet down! Quiet down! A Cask Of Amontillado! Remain in your seats!”, Mr. Lancer points at Danny, “sit down! Standing is certainly less safe!”. While the rest of the class do indeed sit down on the floor, most hugging the walls, Danny’s too busy staring out the window as the sky slowly bleeds to a toxic glowing green. Groaning, “oh extra fuck me. Something tells me I’d rather snort Nasty sauce than deal with this. Goddamnit”. 

While Danny’s off muttering to himself, Valerie slips and crashes into the classroom door, falling inside the classroom. Muttering to herself, “shit, there’s a teacher here. How the fuck am I supposed to-”. Mr. Lancer cuts off her mutterings, “Ms. Gray! Why aren’t you with your class!”. Valerie groans and reluctantly crawls into the classroom as Mr. Lancer aggressively motions for her to come in and sit down. 

Danny can’t help but snicker at her misfortune, as he slides down the wall to sit down, muttering, “well at least both teenage superhero idiots are stuck by the suffering that is American Highschool”. Danny flops to lay down on the ground while most of his classmates' whimper. Deciding to lighten the mood, Danny chuckles, “I’m too old for this shit”. 

Lester gapes at him, “you’re the same age as us? And do you just not care? We’re going to fucking die-”. Dash cuts him off, “oh like some wimpy wind is going to take me down!”. 

Danny snickers, “naw, all you need is a shrink gun”. 

“What was that Fentonio?”. 

“A quip, witty banter, snide remark; you know, a joke”. 

“Daniel, considering the situation we find ourselves in, I don’t think now’s the time to be baiting your peers!”. 

Danny chuckles as the shaking stops partway through Mr. Lancer's words. Smirking from the floor, “I think the situation you’re complaining about isn’t a situation, in this situation”, pointing out the window, “but another situation has, clearly, been greenlit”. 

Valerie glares at the ceiling, “Danny what the hell does that even me-”, cutting herself off as she looks where Danny’s pointing, “oh, oh fuck. Is that?”, looking down at Danny’s face, “that’s the Ghost Zone, isn’t it?”. Danny nods with a frown while Dash pipes up again, “wow Fentlowaskey, what did your screwed up parents screw up now?”. While Paulina’s crying about Phantom saving them, Danny rolls his eyes and sits up, “this daily dose of ghostly suffering is brought to you by the colour white”. 

Mr. Lancer gets up, cracking his knees and back as he does, before helping students get up. Talking at Danny as he helps up Nathan, “and how would you know that, Mr. Fenton?”. Danny jabs his thumb at the window, “white jet spewing blue glitter, the STI of the craft world just assfucked us into the Ghost Zone”. 

Dash whimpers and looks out the window, attempting to not appear as scared as he actually is, “b-but they could have just made the s-sky green right? We’re not, like, actually in the Ghost Zone?!”. 

Danny frowns as he stands, batting away Mr. Lancers offered hand, “seems we are. But it’s not like this is the f-”. Dash cuts Danny off, crying out, “oh god we’re dead! I can’t be dead! I’m too awesome!”. Danny just stares at the freaking out jock for a second, while the rest of the class slowly starts to panic more.

Danny facepalms, not wanting everyone to utterly lose their shit any further, “Dash, you are not dead, we are not dead. We’ve been over this once before. In the Ghost Zone doesn’t equal dead. We’ve been here before, remember?”. Dash stops and lets his arms flop down to his sides, “oh...right”. This seems to settle down most of the other students, with a couple even starting to snicker at the jock. 

Danny shuffles his feet, looking to find a way to get away, “soooo. I'mma just gonna go get my parents”. Valerie snaps her head towards him, “oh yeah! I, um, I’ll go with! Make sure Danny doesn’t get sidetracked or whatever”. Danny rolls his eyes but smirks, knowing full well what she’s doing, but he only gets two steps before Mr. Lancer grabs both him and Valerie. Mr. Lancer shakes his head at the two of them, “oh no, I’m certain the Fenton’s are well aware of Amity’s current predicament. So as is required in these situations, we will be staying together. As a class. And make our way into the parking lot”. The entirety of the class groans, but none louder than Danny; who full-on tilts his head back and sags his body, in an overacted show of annoyance and exasperation.

Mr. Lancer doesn’t let go of their wrists as he does a headcount, fully aware of the twos tendency to run off; even when doing so should be impossible, with Danny particularly. 

Eventually, all of Casper High is gathered outside and most are gaping at the sky. Valerie glares daggers at it, blatantly annoyed. While Danny is relaxed and sitting on the grass, Mr. Lancer standing next to him. Danny chuckles at Valerie, “what? Trying to glare it to Death?”. 

“It’s already dead, Danny. But if glaring would make it go away, I’d find a way to glare harder”.

“Now that I’d like to see. Not sure glaring harder is possible. But if you developed eye death rays then your glare would be literally deadly”, Danny just smirks as she glares at him before opening his mouth again, “anyway...standing around ain’t doing shit sooooo...”. Danny gets up and attempts to bolt off, promptly getting caught by Ms. Teslaff, “awwww, come on...”.

“Thank you Ms. Teslaff”, Mr. Lancer walks up and pretty well drags Danny back, “I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t know how to stay for more than twenty minutes”. Danny grumbles, “I’m not a dog”. 

Dash sneers, “you’re about as well trained as one”. 

“Dash...that, that doesn’t even make sense. Dogs are known for being well trained or trainable. No fucker’s training me to obey their shit”, Danny smirks at Dash, “but props for pretending to have enough brain cells to be witty. You still get an F though”. 

“Fuck you Fentone”. 

The relative peace and calm that Danny had effectively settled over everyone by being a cheeky little shit, gets disturbed by a crash and following explosion. Resulting in tons of screaming students and adults. Danny sighs, “oh for fucks sake”, before grumbling into his hand, “you’d think by now everyone would be used to explosions and shit. But no, they still lose their shit”. Danny then can’t help but bark out a laugh. As two lightly smoking GIW agents come running, from the direction of a billowing pillar of smoke. Danny stands up and smirks at the men, “what? Did you think damning our town to death wasn’t enough of a burn so you burned yourselves for good measure?”. 

“We’ll have you know, that, we had found a way to rid this town of all its ecto-entities”, the wheezing agent glances around, “this, wasn’t supposed to happen though”. 

Danny laughs, “wow, big surprise, real shocker, absolutely bewildering. Who would have thought the GIW would screw up with something ghostly?”.

Valerie mutters, “everyone”, before pointing at and snapping at the two agents, “why do you guys have to mess up every single thing you do? Like, look at this mess? What did you even hope to accomplish?”, shaking her head aggressively and attempting to stomp up to the men but getting stopped by Mr. Lancer. Valerie snaps at them again while trying to shake off Mr. Lancer, “what did you idiots even do? How the hell do you send an entire town into the freaking Ghost Zone?!?”. 

Danny chuckles at Valerie, though frowns at the agents, “it has happened before though. So this isn’t exactly a first”. Valerie snaps her head around to him, “a ghost did that, that’s different. Ghosts fuck shit up by their very nature”. Danny rolls his eyes while the second agent responds, “we were attempting to rid this place of such nuisances, using ecto particle homing dust”. The first agent nods, “designed to send anything ecto back to the Ghost Zone”. 

Danny groans before laughing at their sheer stupidity, “you mean to say, you used something that teleports anything ghostly into the Ghost Zone...on a town...that is...coated and bathed and infused and embedded, with ectoplasm”, laughing again, “of course the entire fucking place went to the dead side!”.

Both agents glare at him, before one speaks up, “you’re the Fenton boy, aren’t you?”, that agent shakes his head, “it only teleports things with sentient ectoplasm and things contaminated by latent ectoplasm. Not free-floating ectoplasm. General ecto-contaminated things and people shouldn’t have been affected!”. 

Danny’s not sure if it would have been better if it only affected him, but this does make a ton more sense now. Seeing as Amity Park was a ghostly lair, his ghostly lair, and thus coated and filled with his latent ectoplasm. Raising an eyebrow and pointing at the men, “so ghosts, ghost items, and ghost lairs? Are you twats incapable of basic research? Maybe you should add some gray to your colour schemes, might encourage the development of some gray matter up in those bigoted heads of yours”. 

“Of course that’s what it targets! That doesn’t explai-”. Danny cuts the agent off, “holy fuck, what rank are you two? I’d like to know just what level of stupid I’m dealing with here, that way I know how slowly I have to speak”. 

“Daniel, that’s quite enough. While I’m aware your family, and thusly you, are highly ecto-knowledgeable; harassing government agents, who could help us, isn’t productive”, Mr. Lancer speaks while Danny rolls his eyes at him. 

Both agents cross their arms, “agents L and G. We’re both beta class. Now if you have any information paramount to our situation, you’d be advised to give it to those of us who can make use of such knowledge”. 

Danny sneers at them and gestures mockingly, “what? You? You couldn’t use the back half of a barn to herd braindead sheep, none the less actually fix this shit”, Danny waves off their glares, “but with that low rank that means that at least you’re not too stupid, and you’re young. So you couldn’t have been indoctrinated for too long. Anyway,”, Danny puts one hand on his hip and gestures to their surroundings and other people, “Amity Park, its buildings, its people, its pets, its damn air. All of it is coated and ecto-contaminated by _latent_ ectoplasm _and_ free-floating ectoplasm...This whole town is a ghostly lair, you dolts”. 

Everyone gapes at Danny while Valerie whirls around and shouts incredulously, “WHAT!?!”. Mr. Lancer sputters, “are-are you quite certain about this Daniel?”. Danny nods while both agents shout, “that is hardly possible! Child! Ghosts can’t sustain themselves on earth! None the less establish an earth-based lair!”. 

“You’re not wr-”, Danny gets cut off by a massive dragon ghost flat-out landing directly behind the two agents, causing both of them to jump into the air in shock. The ghost dragon lashes out its tail, batting both men into a wall. Danny groans, “great, idiots onto dragons. Lovely”. 

While the ghost dragon breathes purple flames into the air at random Valerie jerks her head around, trying to figure out if anyone has any way to defend or fight; thoroughly annoyed when no one does and watching everyone fleeing or hiding all over the place. Well except some people who are frozen in place...and Danny, who’s just groaning loudly at the sky. Muttering to herself, “and like always I’m the only one close to capable”. Danny smirks, having easily heard her, “ouch, must you insult me so? I’ll have you know I am capable, of some things”. 

After the ghost dragon slams down Its tail a little too close for comfort to the collection of humans, and starts slamming Its wings into buildings and the ground at random, the remaining humans begin to huddle together; with Mr. Lancer practically dragging Danny along. Valerie manages to tuck and roll out of the converging humans; while Danny goes wide-eyed, realising she intends to go full Red up in this shit. Blinking rapidly while multiple people gasp, as Valerie summons out her suit. She mutters all the while, “secrets aren't worth death”, smirking under her helmet, “besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything to be ashamed of”, before gliding off to battle the ghost dragon. 

Danny mutters, “fucking props to you, you crazy huntress”, before glancing at the GIW men. Tickled pink that they’re unconscious, and pretty sure Red is equally as pleased by that. 

Everyone else, meanwhile, freaks out.

“WHAT THE FUCK!”.

“VALERIE!”.

“MS. GRAY! Do you have any idea how dangerous what you’ve been doing is!”.

“HOLY SHIT! My classmates a freaking ghost hunter!”.

“That’s hot....”.

Danny can’t help but sputter and cough at that last one he hears, muttering to himself as he sits on the ground lazily, “I mean, the guy’s not wrong”, while Red’s blasting off ecto-shots, Danny taps on his chin, “probably says something about me that my attempted murder is an attractive quality in someone. There’s probably a kink for that or some shit”, chuckling, “I’ll have to ask Tuck about that, creepy womanising fucker always knows bout that shit”. 

Danny can’t help the slight proud smile as Red captures the ghost dragon in her own thermos, before he looks out to the surrounding Ghost Zone. Grumbling, “this many humans, gonna attract more ghosties”. Danny groans before planting his hands into the grass, in between his crossed legs. As discretely as he can, Danny pushes and manipulates his latent ectoplasm in the environment and the Ghost Zone’s ectoplasm to slowly form a ghost shield around the town. The forming shield, unsurprisingly, doesn’t go unnoticed; promptly causing more freakouts. 

“OH GOD!”.

“WHAT THE FUCK!...AGAIN!”.

“Are we being attacked?!?!!”.

“GREAT GATSBY!”.

Red’s staring up and mutters, “that...that’s just a ghost shield...”, just as Maddie comes running over to the group. Mr. Lancer was about to be soothed by Vale-The Red Huntresses words, until he caught sight of Maddie’s deeply concerned face. Maddie shouts, “that’s not a hunter made shield! Don’t be fooled!”. Danny mutters at the ground and his hands, “well fuck, there goes one explanation”. 

Maddie runs up to the principal, “is everyone here? Everyone safe? Danny?”. The principal looks around quickly before nodding, eliciting a relieved sigh from Maddie before she spins around to face the group, “alright everyone! Just stay together while us Fenton’s figure out who, or more likely what, is making the shield and why! You all just wait for your families!”.

While Danny grumbles about being offhandedly called a ‘what’. Dash sneers, “does that include every Fenton. Cause I certainly ain’t putting any faith in a wimp”. Danny would glare but he easily hears a few people mutter about how they’d take Danny over Jack any day. So it’s rather hard for Danny to actually be annoyed. Danny sneers right back, “the only one you put faith in, is yourself. And last I recall, you’ve been screaming like a little bitch”, Dash glares at him while Danny chuckles, “while I’m quite content. Not a worry to be found. Everything’s fucked, but that’s expected at this point. Everything’s always fucked”.

In truth Danny was fucking worried, his entire lair and all his humans were in the fucking Ghost Zone! And not intentionally. And punching the lights out of the ones responsible was both useless and pointless. Danny mutters, “seeing as their lights currently are ou- oh? Okay, never mind”, Danny groans and facepalms painfully hard as the two agents stagger upright. 

Maddie points at them, having had her attention drawn to them because of their movement, “this is your doing, isn’t it?”. Danny stands up, unsure whether she’s talking about the shield or the fact that they’re in the Ghost Zone. But deciding that he’d rather have the attention off his shield, and the dumb fucks really were responsible for the Ghost Zone issue. Danny turns to her and speaks, “for the in Zone shit? Yup, we’ve already established that. Not particularly helpful info unless you’re just looking to mock them though”. Maddie nods curtly at Danny before turning to glare at the GIW men. 

Danny’s chuckling at the glaring match until he spots Red, staring and gaping at him, out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head and raising an eyebrow, slightly concerned because fuck knows why she’s staring, “uh? What’s with the face? Did ya break a brain cell or have you realised I’m still a looker”. Dash snorts, “the only thing worth looking at you for, Fentit, is to better aim my fist at your face”. While Red sputters incoherently and waves her hands erratically at Danny. 

Nearly everyone jumps as two ectopusses slam into the shield before flying off dazed. Red jerks and shakes her head, taking a step towards Danny; hardly believing what she’s seeing, “Danny you...you’re...this is”, glaring at him, “you’re doing this, it’s you. The shield, it’s you”. 

Danny responds nervously, “uh, pretty sure I’m not a shield”, muttering to himself, “though I wind up being one too damn often”. A good portion of the group is shooting both of them worried and confused glances while Red shakes her head, “no. No, you’re making it. Made it? Whatever. What the fuck Danny?”. 

Maddie finally pays attention to them now, “oh don’t be silly, humans can’t do that. Even one lone ghost couldn’t create a shield of this size”. Danny snorts but covers it up with a cough, since he knows she’s flat-out wrong. Pretty well all powerful ghosts could, it was just rather difficult and usually pointless. So why bother? 

Red points at Danny and then taps on her helmet, a strange new visor visible, “I could, can, see it. The free-floating, er latent, ectoplasm. Around you. It’s wafting off you and swirling all around you, over you”, Red looks up at the shield while Danny twitches and mentally begs for her to shut up. Red continues speaking, still looking up, “it’s tied to and feeding into the shield. You’re doing it”. Red looks back at him, “and that’s not the onl-”.

Maddie cuts off Red as she speed walks cautiously towards Danny, who stands up quickly and holds his hands up in a surrendering motion, “sweetie? What does she mean? Surely you couldn’t be doing this?”, snapping her head around to Red, “let me see. The visor, let me see”. Red’s too stunned to refuse and slowly walks up, handing the extra attachment over to Maddie as she gapes at, the clearly awkward and uncomfortable, Danny. 


	2. The Horde Plays Spot The Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because, of course, Red couldn't keep her mouth shut. Add in, of course, his mom doing her usual. And, of course, Danny just can't fucking die.

Danny goes wide-eyed as Red slowly points to the air just above her head, pretty well sure she’s making some kind of reference to his crown. Which, if she’s able to see his ecto-field and his shedding off ectoplasmic energy, she’d be able to see his Ghost King shit. Danny gets jolted out of his worried gaping by Maddie’s gasp, “Danny, sweetie, how? It is you. But how? And, and the cape? Sweetie?”. Danny grumbles incoherently to himself, firmly annoyed at this confirmation of his worries. Sure his Ghost King shit looks great, and he rocks it; but the point of keeping it all invisible is so others, can’t, fucking, see, it. 

Dash runs up, “oh I call bullshit!”, promptly nabbing the visor away. “Fentelephone?! What the fuck?”, Dash gapes as he raises and lowers the visor repeatedly, before just passing it off to people. Dash collects himself as the other remaining students and teachers all take turns gaping at Danny; while Danny looks around awkwardly at the stupid amount of attention and inquisitive eyes. Dash smirks, making a blatant attempt at making sure Danny keeps his loser wimp title. While Danny’s distracted by Maddie awkwardly patting at his shoulder, Dash walks over and shoves Danny’s other shoulder, “you’re the only one who could make a freaking cape look so lame, Fentoenail. You managed to make it look damn pathetic on your weak little loser frame”, Dash scoffs, “bet it’s some kind of weirdo loser crown. The ultimate weirdo, king of the freaks”. Danny can’t help but snort and rolls his eyes exaggeratedly at Dash. King of freaks wasn’t exactly wrong, and he was grade A fucking weird, nearly one of a kind. It’s a fair bit hard to be weirder or freakier than being half fucking dead. 

Maddie turns towards Dash and puts her hands on her hips, “excuse me, young man?”. 

“Uhh..”, Dash backs off rapidly.

But the odd settling in of normalcy is jarred away, as a ghost unicorn slams into the shield followed by an ectonet. Danny tilts his head up, full well knowing that’s Skulker he’s sensing and the net’s probably Skulkers. Sure enough, Skulker comes into view. Skulker looks around before shaking his head, “I’m not even going to ask, whelp. Also not foolish enough to even attempt breaking your barrier”. Danny groans and points over his shoulder at the two GIW agents, who are aggressively trying to grab onto the visor but everyone’s basically playing keep away. Skulker sighs at the agents, “seriously?”, looking back at Danny, “you better keep them in there”, grinning maliciously, “or maybe don’t, I could use some new prey”.

Danny snorts but Maddie speaks to Danny before he can respond to Skulker, who promptly flies off looking to avoid any Phantom trademarked humour, “Danny! Ignore that! You should know better than to converse with ectofilth!”. 

Danny looks back down towards his mom, “uh, isn’t getting Amity back to the Human Realm more important than who I talk to?”. Mr. Lancer raises an eyebrow, “Human Realm? Would that happen to be another term for earth?”. Danny puts his hands up again awkwardly and takes a step back, “heh heh”, promptly bumping into Dex, a tenth grader. Who’s wearing the visor and now attempting to feel the cape, Danny attempts to not laugh at how silly the guy looks; mostly failing. But this results in agent G nabbing the visor away. 

Red grabs and drags Danny away from the, starting to get too close for comfort, crowd. Maddie scurrying after and grabbing onto his other wrist, jerking the two teens to a stop. Danny looks back and forth between the two huntresses yanking on his arms and sighs. While agent G shouts at Danny, “you! Not a ghost but you’re freaking leaking ectoenergy! You might as well be! And-and you’re wearing ghost clothing! Ghost items! No human should stoop so low as to be anything like those ghost freaks!”. Both agents start stalking towards him, while Danny glares at them over the petty insults before yanking his wrists free of their respective gripping ladies. 

Danny backflips over top of Red. With Kwan, the one now wearing the visor after punching agent L, easily seeing Danny’s cape billowing and flapping in the air. While the GIW agents stalk after Danny aggressively, agent L glaring at the jock but ignoring him in favour of harassing the ghostly teen. 

Red spins around, “Danny what?!?”, as Danny lands softly behind her. While agent L snaps, twitching the ectogun in his hand, “trying to hide behind a proper human! A ghost hunter at that! You’re worse than ectofilth! A human donning the clothing of monsters!”. Agent G points at him, “you’re probably why there’s latent ectoplasm here! Or it’s the fault of those ecto-artifacts! Relinquish them! Or we will shoot you! And we won’t feel bad about shooting some human who lowers themselves to that of those ectoplasmic entities!”. 

Now Danny’s just flat-out annoyed, verging on angry. Making his ectofield pulse aggressively and threateningly; which Maddie, having easily re-obtained the visor from Kwan, flinches at. Not liking seeing her son be anything close to ghostly. Knowing he was highly ectocontaminated was one thing, this was another. Clearly the agents weren’t really wrong, her boy was ghostly. But even still, she’s not about to tolerate anyone berating or threatening her son. Maddie turns and snaps at the men, “you will leave my son alone! I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this”, turning back towards Danny, “right sweetie?”. 

Red twitches slightly, “uh yeah Danny, care to explain all of”, gesturing at the air above his head and around his shoulders, “this?”.

Agent L barks, “we said remove your ghostly possession now!”. Agent G speaks up as-well while taking a step forward, ectogun creaking in his hands, “and please, mam, step away from him”. Danny groans, wanting everyone to shut up. 

He doesn’t get his wish as Red snaps her head around, “oh shut up, I trust him more and faster than I could shoot the both of you. Which is damn fast by the way”. 

“There’s nothing lowly about me. No, I’m better for this”, Danny sighs, steeling himself, before looking up and smirking. Placing a hand on his hip and moving in a way to drag his cape over half of himself, the white flames of the collar licking energetically at his chin and cheek. It still being invisible making the mildly threatening effect lost, but it makes Danny feel more powerful all the same, “no, I’m just right. And no I won’t be “relinquishing” anything. Not like I actually could anyway”.

Danny puts his hands in his pockets and rocks on his heels, looking around with a goofy grin. Officially deciding he’s gotta pretty well open up here, cause, like, everyone has seen his shit now. Smirking and turning back to the men, who still have their guns point towards him, “even offing me ain’t gonna make these babies fuck off. Naw, you’d have to double kill me. Make a ghost of the ghost of the person, ya know?”, tapping his chin, “ghostify me to de-ghostify me? Ghost the ghost to ghost the not ghost. Sorta. Words are a wonderful thing, huh?”. 

“Danny get to the point for fucks sake”. 

“Sweetie, what do you mean you can’t take it off? Surely you could and that would solve part of the issue, right? That stuff’s what’s making the ectofield and shedding ectoenergy, right?”. Danny can’t help but inwardly cringe at Maddie’s words. But it was a damn good cover story, and the crown really did have its own ectofield so it wasn’t even lying.

Sighing and slumping before straightening up, clearly seeing everyone paying acute attention to him, “you’re not wrong, nor are those moronic agents. But y’all are also not right”, Danny then mutters to himself, “I mean they’re straight fucking wrong about the pissing on ghosts crap, but that’s not really new information”, before looking to his mom. Smiling softly, “we’re not here cause of my accessories. Me removing it, if that was even possible, would achieve nothing. No, we’re here cause two idiots dumped fucking pixie dust meant to send ghostly lairs to the Ghost Zone, onto a ghostly lair. This place was a lair long before I got any of this stuff, my stuff is not at fault. It never was”. 

“Bullshit! I said before! Ghosts can’t have earth lairs! They ca-”. Danny cuts the agent off, tilting his head back and groaning loudly at the sky, “oh would you shut up!”. Snapping his head back down, forcibly keeping his angry ectoenergy out of his eyes as he responds, “I would have thought, after all these years. All ‘o y’all would have realised you’re useless twats. You can’t tell the difference between ghost fact and ghost I-believe-this-cause-I’m-a-bigoted-moron. A ghost could take a piss on your front lawn and you’d think they were bleeding or part dog or some shit”.

Paulina, wearing the visor now, whimpers a little, “even the air energy thingy looks angry”.

While Danny steps out from around Red with an intense gaze on the two agents, hair fluffing out like some anime bullshit, “but there’s one thing you guys do get right about lairs. If you wanna destroy a lair, or, in this case, make a place no longer a lair. Well, you’ve gotta destroy its keeper. Little late to do that though, since y’all already zapped us into the Ghost Zone, like crappy teleportation lightening. And somehow, I doubt that even if lightning struck twice, that it would send Amity back to the Human Realm”. 

Both the men raise their weapons at him but Danny just shrugs, glaring at their faces and paying the weapons no mind, which is a bit disconcerting to the men, “so you’re kind of in a catch twenty-two, kill the lair keeper to rid Amity Park of its ghostliness but thusly making it impossible for Amity to return to the Earth Realm. Or get Amity Park back to the Earth Realm but thusly failing in your mission to rid Amity Park of ghosts and all things ghostly”. Both men grit their teeth at him while Danny just laughs mockingly, “but then again only one of these two options are actually options. Two things impossible to you but only one with any real possibility. Possible impossibility. Sorry not sorry, you can’t destroy this lairs keeper”. 

Dash sputters, “what the hell happened to Fentripod, how could that weak loser seem even slightly threatening...”. Earning nervous nods from both Paulina, who’s clinging to Dash’s arm, and Kwan, who’s more in awe than startled.

While Danny walks up to the men, letting their guns push into his chest, chuckling darkly, “even white suit scum like you will hesitate pulling the trigger on a seventeen-year-old human kid”, smirking as multiple people gasp, “you're right, no ghosts got a Human Realm lair. No. But a human certainly does. Heck! Amity Park isn’t even the only human Ghostly Lair. Though-”. Maddie cuts Danny off, starting to become a bit put off by his unusual aggressiveness, even if it’s thickly laced with mocking humour, “Danny what are you saying?!? I’m the leading scientist on these matters, that shouldn’t be possible?”. 

Danny’d like to get to actually finish speaking for a change but doesn’t get to respond as he picks up motion from the agents, motion aiming to harm him. Danny quickly twists and leans sideways, avoiding an ectoshot from agent L, before springing backwards. Maddie turns on the agent, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING”, before punching him in the face. 

Danny whistles and smirks at the downed agent. While agent G gets his gun right into Danny’s face, and just as agent G goes to shoot. Danny thoroughly confuses the agent by smirking, “you’re wasting your time”, before agent G fires the gun. 


	3. The Fright To Defend His Might

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny's just done with all of this shit, seeing as Knights, apparently, don't understand secrets

Quite a few people glare, mostly looking pissed off at the agent. That is until the shot gets batted away by a sword as the Fright Knight lands his steed, Nightmare. Agent G falls to the ground as Nightmare bucks and neighs loudly, Fright Knight bellowing, “YOU DARE TO LAY ARMS AGAINST HIS MAJESTY WHILE GIVEN REFUGE WITHIN HIS LANDS. YOUR KIND HARDLY HAVE PLACE AMONGST HIS DEATHLY SUBJECTS AND ARE BEHOLDEN TO EVEN LESS RIGHTS TO REST WITHIN HIS CLOSER DOMINION. I COMMAND YOU, IN NAME OF THE HIGH GHOST KING, TO REMAIN ROOTED AS YOU ARE, UNTIL SUCH A TIME THAT HIS GRACIOUSNESS RETURNS YOU TO YOUR KEEP”. 

Nearly everyone gapes at the large ghosts sudden appearance and booming voice. Those who actually took in what he said are confused and only grow more confused as Danny smiles loosely and straight-up punches the ghost in the arm like he’s some old friend. 

“Pfft, ones like them don’t have keeps, you stupid old school knight. Would it kill ya to say “home” or “house” or even just “town”?”, Danny pats imaginary dust off his pants before putting a hand on his hip, pointing at the Fright Knight, “and ‘beholden’? are you even using that right? I mean I guess, sorta. Whatever. Anyway, don’t stab him. Traumatising the bastard ain’t gonna do much. Their nightmare fuel faces and nightmare inducingly incapable ghost hunting abilities will not improve by giving them literal nightmares. I think all this already counts as a frightfully bad time anyway. Add in fearsome in shining armour...wait”, Danny snorts and falls on his ass laughing, “oh my Ancients! You literally just played my knight in shining armour! My prince on his steed! Oh man, that is frighteningly cliche!”. 

Danny has a feeling the Fright Knight’s face looks equal parts disgusted and judgemental, with twinklings of amusement, “I do not serve you like that, my highness”. That only serves to make Danny lay on his back laughing, while everyone else watches on utterly slack-jawed, “and here I thought I was granted your servitude to its fullest extent”. The Fright Knight lowers his sword and turns sideways to glance at Danny, “my liege, I’m beginning to be of the mind that you ought grant your kin access to your mind”. 

Danny springs up from the ground and makes a show of mock offence, hands on his hips, “ouch, now that was a low blow Frightmare. Very ghostly, I approve”. While the Fright Knight grumbles about how his highness never calls anyone by their actual names, Agent L goes to shoot at him but gets kicked in the face by Nightmare. Which seems to be enough to shake the crowd out of their stupor. 

Maddie goes up and yanks on Danny’s sleeve, trying to pull him away from the ghosts, “young man what are you doing? That is a ghost”. Maddie puts herself between Danny and the Fright Knight, glaring at the Fright Knight, “and how dare you address my son, ghost!”. 

Danny groans, at this point he might as well just say fuck it. Sighing, “yeah fuck it”. Danny forms a ghost portal behind himself, the shock of it opening up is enough for Maddie to loosen her grip; easily allowing for Danny to slip inside it. Popping out a second portal right behind the two GIW agents. Danny punches the bent over agent L in the face, smirking devilishly all the while, “heeeeeere’s Danny!”, before twisting to punch agent G in the face; knocking both fully to the ground, again. Danny flips to land in front of them and bends down, perching on his toes, to look down at the two groaning men, “now see, the point of that was to point out that Amity’s getting its ghostly lair of an ass back to the Human Realm via one motherfucking big portal. Like Ancients, this fucker’s gonna be massive. Oh, and getting to punch you white suit scum”. 

“The only scum is ectoentities!”.

“Daniel James Fenton!”.

“What the fuck Danny...”.

“Oh my god, Fenturd has ghost powers!”.

“That’s likely the only option, your excellency”.

Danny chuckles as he straightens up, “indeed, this excellencies idea is most excellent”, then rolling his eyes at everyone else, “it’s just manipulation of the Ghost Zones free-floating ectoplasm, don’t get your knickers in a knot. Anyone with my positio-”. Danny gets cut off by Red, wearing her visor again, shouting and pointing aggressively at the air above his head, “GHOST KING!!!”.

Danny sighs as Red comes stomping over to him, though chuckles as she blatantly intentionally steps on one of the downed agents. Danny rubs his neck, “uh yeah, Mr. Unliving Knightmare over here has pointed that out, like, five times”. 

“Six, now seven, my Lord”. 

The two agents struggle to get up and scoot away from Danny, while Red comes to stand in his face a bit, “WHAT THE HELL! HOW COULD YOU BE A GHOST KING! YOU'RE NOT EVEN DEAD!”. Danny has to bite his tongue to keep from muttering about being halfway there; the chances of Red overhearing him are too great. 

Dash crosses his arms and sneers, “Fentoad couldn’t be a king anyway, he’s too scrawny and pathetic”, earning glares from most of the crowd, no one else even willing to entertain the idea that someone who walks up to guns without a care, was pathetic. 

The Fright Knight goes to speak but Danny raises a hand to quiet him, “you don’t need to speak, or more likely bellow, for me. Especially at some High-school bully who’s bark and bite is closer to puppies than to a Rottweiler”, turning to Dash while Red sputters about him commanding a ghost. Danny sticks out his tongue and pulls down one lower eyelid, “you’ve got too small a brain to lead half a pencil stick, lack the courage to take charge of my dad’s fudge supplies, and have the political capabilities of a squirrel that’s been half-drowned in knock-off cheese whiz”, smirking, “you’re hardly the judge of kings. And you’ve hardly got the place to judge one”. 

Danny easily hears someone mutter about how Dash is the most dangerous kid at school, not a freaking Chihuahua. Now Danny’s firmly captured everyone’s attention, based on the disbelieving stares he's getting. Though Danny’s pretty sure the Fright Knight is over the moon over Danny’s little verbal display; a full blood red All Hallows’ eve moon but still.

The Fright Knight nods strongly as he pats Nightmare’s flaming mane, “indeed, I agree with his highnesses judge of character”, the Fright Knight turns to Red, “and you, skilled huntress. Of course, I follow my lieges desires, such is the place of any Dread Knight; and infallibly that of the High Dread Knight. Further, I said The High Ghost King, and while his grand eminence may take preference to referring to himself as simply The Ghost King; “High” is part of the title. To show rank beyond all others, the King of Kings”. 

Danny sighs, “add there you go, laying it on thick”, Danny walks back over and leans against the Fright Night, who’s crossed his arms and stands stiff. Danny speaks to Red calmly, “regardless, Mr. Walking suit of armour and a creepy level of insight into everyone’s darkest fears, is right. “a” and “the” have two very different meanings”, glancing up at the Fright Knight, “and “High” is just embellishment. Fucking fanciful, unnecessary, extravagant, arguably pretentious; yada yada”. 

Maddie shakes herself off and storms up, yanking Danny away from the Fright Knight yet again, “Daniel! What are you doing! You don’t even have on protective gear and-”.

Danny’s loud groan cuts her off and he can tell the Fright Knight is restraining an exasperated sigh, “mom, holy guacamole, dear gods, sweet Ancients. I’m fine, this is fine, everybody here is fine...well except those two idiot agents”, glaring at the agents, who’ve got their guns out again and stand on shaky legs, “who are about thirteen seconds away from me just straight up jacking their guns. And they will certainly not be getting them back without Jack Fenton’s face on them”. Both men cringe and instantly drop their guns, while Danny turns back to Maddie. Sighing at her, “I’m doing something to deal with the twats who caused this bullshit. And-”.

Danny gets cut off by Mr. Lancer, who’s more interested in the art of words than teenage and family bickering, “you keep mentioning ‘Ancients’, you've said it plenty over the years. Where’d that come from? And king, Daniel? I would expect a king to be far more bold and with vaster knowledge...though you’ve shown to be more bold than previously thought”. 

The Fright Knight can’t restrain a scoff, one part annoyed, one part amused, and one part impressed, at how little these humans understood his king; which was largely due to his majesty’s skilful secretiveness. Danny smiles fondly, “dear Ancients, sweet Ancients, oh my Ancients, Ancient blessed, etcetera. They’re Ghost Zone terms, similar to ‘oh my god’ and ‘dear god’”. The Fright Knight nods, “quite so. I, however, am not one for such colloquialisms myself. Though many also make such terms of his most high royalties title and name. For, after all, Realms blessed be those under The High Ghost Kings joyous resplendency”. 

“Oh come on! Who did Fentoast pay to pull this crap?!?”, Dash cries out and gestures at Danny.

The Fright Knight speaks at Danny, “I’m starting to see where and how you acquired your eccentric naming of everyone by names not of their own”. Danny coughs and gapes, “okay, that is a genuine insult, I’m nothing like that bleach brain fried twat. I’d get more outta eating sporks and footballs than talking to that”. 

Dash doesn’t even get a chance to snap back as Red beats him to it, “first off, ew. Second, there’s no way you’re any kind of ghost royalty. I mean Danny, you’re well, you. You’re Danny. Danny Fenton. Ghost hunter protege”.

Maddie nods, grabbing Danny’s shoulder, “yeah sweetie, Fenton’s hunt ghosts. Not lead, that makes no sense”. 

“Oh for the love of- goddamnit”, Danny shakes his head, slightly annoyed, “Hunt? No. Fight? Sure. Insult? Definitely. Lead? Yes. Guide? Yup. Aid? Okay. You get the point, maybe”. Danny tilts his head up at the sky, muttering to himself, “how is any of this solving our green goo sky...”. 

Maddie puts her hands on her hips, “you being friendly, none the less _aiding_, a ghost is more of an issue. We’re protected by the shield so it-”. Danny butts in, “my shield”. Maddie nods, “yes sweetie, which while thanks, it is hard to get. But if it takes longer to get home, to Earth, because we’re sorting out this, then so be it”. 

Danny chuckles, science and family did always come before safety with his parents. But there was no problem to be sorted out, and she was still too anti-ghost to really accepted this. However, Danny flicks his gaze between his mom and the Fright Knight, muttering, “though if she’s tolerating my second in command, I guess that’s something”.

Maddie and Red both blink at him, Maddie opening her mouth to speak while glaring at the Fright Knight but gets cut off by agent L. “Ok that’s enough of this crap. You’re either playing some strange joke, kid. Or you’re a damn ghost that looks human”. 

Danny facepalms, “oh for fucks sake, Ancients give me strength, Realms power cometh, Zone grant deathly lease. Neither”, Danny smirks and digs into his pocket. Pulling out an 'I can’t believe it’s not a ghost' meme sticker and slaps it on his forehead, “you literally said I can’t be a ghost. Literally impossible. Ghosts need to be in the Ghost Zone. I live in Amity, in the Human Realm. Ghosties can’t do that. And also, fuck y’all”. Danny does a dramatic finger snap, allowing his cape, ring, and crown to blink into visibility.

Unsurprisingly the only human who doesn’t jump is Star, who’s wearing the visor. Star blinks, “why’d everyone jump or whatever?”.

Danny chuckles, “take off the visor”. 

“Oh”. 


	4. With Fashion He Shows His Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny's shown them part of who he is, he's told them part of who he is, his Knight is practically shouting it at them. So why's it so hard for them to believe that he's a king and that he cares?

Danny nods and jumps away, cape slashing through the air dramatically, from the group of humans some. Quickly being followed by the Fright Knight, who also flares his cape dramatically, before standing to the side and behind Danny; Nightmare coming up behind the Fright Knight. Danny turns to face the group of humans, with a shit-eating grin, “yeah I’m the damn Ghost King. Which, since I still think you’re missing this, means king of ghosts”. 

Dash can’t help but snap, staring at the weird-ass kid legit looking like a king with his knight flanking him, “well no shit Fentuns 'o fun, still don’t buy you being any kind of king. Or having any kind of authority over any kingdom”.

Red adds in, “especially a ghost one”. 

Danny tilts his head to the side and groans, muttering to himself, “fucking humans. For Phantom's sake”. 

“You know sire, most kings don’t use their own name as a swear”, Danny just snorts and chuckles at the Fright Knights comment. Danny looks back to the humans and shakes his head as the Fright Knight addresses them, “you misunderstand his highness. It goes back to what the young king said previously. “the” And “a” do not carry the same gravity or prestige”.

Dash mutters, “the fuck does that mean”.

While Danny nods, speaking again, “I am _The_ Ghost King, not just _a _ghost king”. Danny stretches his arms over his head and clasps his hands behind his head, making the cape bunch up around his neck, the flames curling together and blazing erratically. Danny smirks, “A king means someone who rules a kingdom. A community, selection, bunch, collection of people or species. The king means someone who rules the entirety of a species”. 

Nightmare stomps a hoof on the ground and snorts. While the Fright Knight nods, speaking, “in layman’s terms, ghost ruling titles are based on where they rule. A ghost queen of the Terabina kingdom would be called the Terabina Queen. His majesty’s title is The Ghost King, because his kingdom encompasses the whole of the Ghost Realm. Simply stated, he rules all ghosts and every single existing ghost bends to his command”. Danny nods and gives a goofy smile, aiming to soften the blow and not have his humans blow up at him. 

Unsurprisingly, one of the agents is the first to speak up. Agent G snaps, swinging an arm around wildly, “but he’s a human! A child human at that! A, clearly, horribly ghostly indoctrinated one but all the same!”.

“That matters not, it was his by right. He simply had to claim it”, the Fright Knight turns to Danny, “even if it took many moons for his highness to claim his throne”. The Fright Knight flicks his gaze back to the agent and bellows, “AND TAINTED HIS MIND IS NOT. HE IS SIMPLY FREE FROM FAULTY UNDERSTANDINGS OF EITHER OF THE TWO GREAT REALMS. SOMETHING THAT THE LIKES OF YOU HAVE CLEARLY NOT BEEN GRACED WITH SO”. 

Danny shrugs, cape bunching up around his neck again, “what he said, and ask anyone, teens don’t exactly jump at the chance for responsibilities ...or life complications, for that matter”, smirking, “but all the same, it’s my place and a grand one it is. I’d take no other in my place”. 

Fright Knight nods strongly, “nor would I. You are plenty fair and are one of few humans lacking biases. Regardless of your blood, you regard your subjects with affections and true thought”. 

Danny can’t help but blush at the praise, “it’s what’s right, nothing more. Who I am has never been one to hate unjustly or universally”.

“You are far too humble, your highness. You care, and that’s more than the kings of old”. Danny kind of hates how true the Fright Knights statement is, most ghost kings were less than kind or good. 

Maddie jumps in, “our boy is just protecting his town and the people here! He is not doing anything for you filthy creatures!”.

Both Danny and the Fright Knight shake their heads, but Danny does so with a sigh; grumbling all the while, “this is just fucking dandy, perfectly peachy. Ancients end me”, before turning his head to look directly at Maddie, “you’re wrong, mom”.

Maddie stares at him before shaking her head, choosing to ignore her son in favour of insulting and chewing out the, adult, ghost, “and how dare you lay claim to my son! By placing some ghost title on him and binding him to your emotionless dimension!”. Danny tilts his head back, “it’s more of a Zone and it’s called a Realm...officially anyway”. Danny’s not even sure she heard him as Maddie just continues ranting. 

Danny gets an unpleasant reminder of the GIW presence when agent L snaps, “you freaks must be using the boy for access to our world!”. 

The Fright Knight scoffs, “hardly, we need no human for access to your living Human Realm”, turning to Maddie as Nightmare, much to Danny’s amusement, kicks agent L, “he was neither binded nor demanded his royal grandeur. As I have already made apparent, his lordship claimed his title. There was no force of hand and none would dare partake in such actions when dealing with anyone of whom hand and head be worthy of the Ghost Realms infinite depths of power”. 

Red shakes her head and pointedly avoids the Fright Knight as she moves to stand next to Danny. Danny watches as she rubs a bit of the cape in her fingers, clearly avoiding the flames though. Red looks up from the cape to Danny’s watchful face, while he smiles softly at her, “batshit crazy huh?”. Red squints at him, “that’s an understatement Danny. What the fuck? How can a human? How do you have this? This claim or whatever?”.

Dash storms up a bit, “better question Fen-tertainment Tonight, if you’re this damn big shot Ghost King then why the hell don’t you just order all these ghosts to fuck off?”. Dash’s question causes both agents and Maddie to stop their verbal tirades, looking to Danny.

Maddie scrunching up her eyebrows some before nodding at Danny, “yes, yes you should be able to do that. It still makes no sense and no filthy dimension of post-human consciousness should be infesting my boy with its ectofilth. But you, you could use this couldn’t you?”. 

Danny rubs his neck awkwardly, “seriously, just say Zone or Realm”, before putting his hands up, motioning for them to quiet down. Sighing, “can and will aren’t the same. Could and should. Not gonna do that. By ‘that’ I mean the whole telling the ghosties to fuck off. It’s not my fault if Dashie can’t handle his days being made a bit spooktacular. That’s whatcha get for living in a partly unliving town. A town full of a fantasma of ectoplasma”, Danny internally groans at the slight glare from Maddie. Tilting his head back and groaning exaggeratedly, “mom, sure the ghosties make living here, _interesting_, but it’s hardly some immediate issue. Plus, it’s part of Amity’s charm”, Danny jabs a finger at the two agents, “if anything, the colour white makes for a hell of a lot more black and blue. Because they’re twats. Ghost hating, uninformed, backwards, unworldly, benighted, white suit scum. I may be in league with the dead, but those fucksticks are dead from the neck up”.

Danny talks to Red right over the GIW agents grumblings, “and the fuck is right. Quite the thing to be walking along, doin my own freak shit”, glancing at Dash, “I’ll take freaks over teddy bears any day”. Looking back to Red, “then what do I hear? What caresses and tickles my ears? Ghostly asses muttering about my kingliness”, tapping his chin, “well princeliness at the time”, shrugging, “that shit threw me through a loop more blazingly hard to fathom than my crown that alights my head with its flames”. 

“Wait, you mean you weren’t even told? You just...overheard shit? And then decided, fuck it, and just went all Ghost King?”, Red’s jaw drops as Danny nods. While agent L snaps, “no human should be a ghost prince or king! You must be infected by some ghostly thing! You-”.

Danny cuts the guy off by snapping, “y’all are just pissy I’m all enlightened and shit. That I know and have access to what you don’t. That, when it comes to ghosts, I have real sway and say. That I can make real plays and forays. That I have the ability to easily slay and flay ghostly ass”. 

Mr. Lancer mutters, “why does he not show this kind of rhyming and wordplay in class?”. Danny, having easily heard him, “cause it’s not funny using it in class. Right now, it’s fucking hilarious”. Danny points at the fuming agents, “anything that pisses them off is side-splitting”. While Red pokes at him, shaking her head, “how does a human even claim a ghost throne?!? How does one even be able to be able to claim it?”. 

“Uh, ask nicely?”, Danny shrugs, “but really, sit on the throne you have claim over. Bare the weight of your crown and open yourself up to the power it all grants you”. Danny lifts up his hand and flicks the Ring of Suffering, “in The Ghost King case, wield the pain and embodiment, or whatever, of your life’s defining unpleasant shit. A defining feature of your life that you do or gotta overcome, but will always be a thing in whatever bullshit existence you happen to have”. 

Maddie stutters, “p-pain? Unpleasant? Danny, what do you mean? This hurts you?”, Maddie shakes her head, “that doesn’t even explain how you have a claim, ghost prince? How? Why? The living shouldn’t have such a title”. 

Nightmare snorts, leaning their head almost protectively overtop of Danny’s. While the Fright Knight claps Danny on the shoulder, “might is a burden, and his grace’s might is grandiose. Any title of the royals is one carrying might, and power granted always has its draws”. 

Danny nods and points at his ring, “represents a large aspect of my existence that I must be better than. Deal with like a colossal champ. Overwhelmingly overcome. Be a spectral survivor of whatever bullshit. Sooo. Unpleasant, displeasing, irksome, troublesome, annoying; kinda all part of the duty. This is the Ring of Suffering after all. Kinda means I suffer a lot in my existence and will continue to”. Multiple people instantly turn to glare at Dash, and Danny’s not about to correct the aim of their blame. 

“You bare it grandly, as is expected from one of such excellency. Pariah’s ill-handling of his rage only exemplifies your true right to rule”, the Fright Knight turns to Red, “his great lordship was the one in line to take the crown. Such was he at the fall of the ensnared mad king. One of whom even thousand years of cursed sleep could not make capable of quelling his unpleasantry that was his rage and wrath. The battered deranged one held his place as The Ghost King no more. So as such, the right to rule was granted true to a young merciful one. His state of living being inconsequential. His splendours grant him worthy of his dignitaries, for he is a luminary one”. Danny mutters, “you are way too much of a knight. Are you trying to bury me in wordy praises?”. 

Red smirks, a bit uncomfortably, at Danny, “this is starting to sound like a religion”. Danny chuckles, “he likes embellishing his words. Pretty sure it makes him feel all high and mighty or some shit”. 

“One of my standing should sound as such”, the Fright Knight nods curtly to emphasise his statement. Earning a smirk from Danny, “oh? And what of the one above you, my frightful knight?”. Red can’t help but snort as the Fright Knight stiffens some, “you, my liege, by you’re reverence alone make any words spoken suiting”. 

Danny laughs, patting the Fright Knight on the back almost aggressively, “nice save, Frightmare”. Danny grumbles to himself, “now to save all these idiots...and two extra idiots who need to be drowned in pomegranate juice, red wine, blood, and tomato sauce”. 

While Red grimaces, “that would smell awful”.

Danny glances around, catching Dash pretty well tearing his hair out over Danny being royalty. GIW throwing insults at ghosts but mostly at Danny, with Maddie snapping back at them with almost concerning levels of aggression. Mr. Lancer and a few other teachers look like they’re gonna cry from the lack of order. Danny turns his head skyward, grumbling, “I really should get everyone out of here before something stupid happens. Which I’m sure it will anyway”.

“Well that’s pessimistic”, Red shoves him before muttering near his ear, cringing a little as his capes collars cold flames dance over her shoulder slightly, “the only reason I’m not de-suiting is your mom, you know. Well, that and everyone’s attention on you is saving me from twenty-one questions”.

Danny makes a pouty face, grumbling, “glad my suffering could be helpful...but you know what you could do in return?”. Red instantly frowns, slightly nervous about what the strange highly unpredictable, and apparently royal, boy might request. Danny smirks as he continues, “you cool your shit. Chill out with the ghost hating. Put the biases on ice. At least give the ones who ain’t causing a problem the cold shoulder instead of going all blazing fire and fury on ‘em. I don’t expect you to not be frosty to the ghosties through”. Danny runs a hand through the flames, patting at them before looking back to Red, a bit bashfully. Flicking his eyes upward, “they are my subjects after all. Kinda hard for me to not find the whole, mass ghost hating and destroy everything ectoplasmic, mind set...you know, bad. As much as my aliveness might still be a thing, and my unlivedness”, chuckling, “I mean, inexperience, as a king might be a thing. You being all Miss destructo murdersuit, isn’t really over lookable if something funky happened. Monkeys or no monkeys”. 

“That...that was a really weird way to ask me to play nice, well nicer. And monkeys?”, Red shakes her head, “I mean I guess”, Red chuckles and punches Danny’s shoulder playfully, “you have to treat them all kind and shit, so if Mr. Ran away from all ghosts, can tolerate the non-aggressors I can too”. 

Danny smirks as he swirls his fingers in the air, making a portal and pulling through an apple. Taking a bite of it before speaking, “funky alone is just weird, but funky monkey is just plain crazy”, swallowing harshly, “and I’d like to think so. Not every hunter here has drowned their clothing in enough bleach to fry all their brain cells, after all. But I don’t have to be kind and I don’t simply tolerate”, shrugging, “okay, some I do just tolerate”, pointing the apple at Red, “I care for, have fondness for, enjoy the company of, find plenty of merriment with, ghosts. My kingdom, dominion or whatever, the Ghost Zone, Ghost Realm. I do care. I do protect it, them; this big clusterfuck that makes for a dead species and world”.

Danny pulls a second apple through the portal before closing it. Whipping the apple at agent G without breaking eye contact with Red, “and the GIW have long made themselves an enemy, trying to blow the whole place up isn’t really something friendly”. Danny smiles while Red gapes at him, “rather not have you as an enemy as well”. Danny mutters under his breath, “or my parents for that matter, but I somehow doubt they’ll really listen to me. I’m just a teen and their kid after all”. Danny knows full well they’ll probably order him to cut it the fuck out. But he won’t, obviously. Danny smirks again, holding up the first, and now half-eaten, apple, “this is a red delicious by the way”. Earning a slug in the shoulder from Red. 

The two laugh a bit before both realise they’re being stared at, by pretty well all the humans. Danny sighs, “oh now what? I guess it was high time someone took a piss on my semi pleasant day”.

The Fright Knight leans over, “they’ve been watchful ever since you ever so casually created a small portal, for something so mundane as sustenance”. The Fright Knight isn’t about to add on that his highness clearly did so purely for some jokes, his majesty was a jester of a king after all. 

Danny chuckles, “heh”, shrugging, “we really should, you know, go”. With a huff, Danny flops down to sit cross-legged. Hiding his smirk with a hand as multiple people look up and nod, many gulping nervously. But Danny glares at the GIW agents as they look to each other and nod, obviously forming some kind of plan. And their plans were always stupid or just unpleasant. Danny squints at them, annoyed, as they address him, “you’ll be coming with us. Far too ghostly to be allowed uncontained”.

Danny snorts, “no I will not. Go ahead and try though. You couldn’t catch this eldritch ass even if I didn’t fight back or summon my army to brutalise your asses”. Danny points lazily at the men, “I have a good four million super-powered dead fucks at my becking call, or whatever. And that’s just my army, many of my allies have armies of their own. You’d have better chances of catching the swine flu, the Black Plague, and rabies all at once than capturing or arresting me”.

The Fright Knight nods and steps forward, bellowing, “YOU WILL MAKE NO SUCH ACTIONS AGAINST HIS ROYAL PROVIDENCE. SHOULD YOU DISOBEY, IN THE PLACE OF WHICH HIS MAJESTY IS SOVEREIGN, I SHALL TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN STRIKING FEAR INTO YOUR BEINGS. THE HIGH GHOST KING AS HE MAY BE, IS BEYOND YOUR MORTAL LAWS. YOU AND YOUR KINDS RULE HAVE NO CLAIMS TO HIS HIGHNESS”. The Fright Knight flies quickly to bring his blade directly to the necks of the men, making both shriek, “I suggest that once my liege, in all his merciful splendour, returns you to your realm. That you take your leave and BE GONE”.

Danny gets back up, watching in case things go to grade A shit. While the Fright Knight steps back, sensing the warning in his kings' posture. Only for Maddie to storm over, “I can defend my son perfectly well and better than you, ghost”. Maddie turns on the, still startled, agents, “you dare, DARE, lay a hand on my boy and I will dump so much red wine all over every inch of you that everything white that ever touches you again will instantly be stained pink! Then I will chase you publicly with the Fenton creep stick until you run off to suck your mommies thumbs!”. 

The Fright Knight looks back to Danny, pointing at Maddie, “I find myself of like mind with her”. Danny chuckles, relaxing, “so you’re kindred spirits in the name of my defence”. Maddie glares distrustfully at the Fright Knight before returning to giving death glares at the agents.

Agent G snaps, somewhat nervously, “human, underaged and your son regardless; he’s an ectothreat! This can not be allow-”. He gets cut off by loud banging and explosions out in the distance of the vast of the Ghost Zone. While Danny mutters, “no shit I’mma ectothreat, I literally just said that. Like really, kinda obvious at this point. Shit don’t fucking matter though”. 

The Fright Knight only looks towards the sounds for a second before walking next to Danny, “that’s right sire, I originally sought you out to inform you of the return to warring between the Xercti nation and Herencotton clans. However, I do find it is highly improbable that this skirmish could become any form of all-encompassing or eradicating in nature. All the same, word of the Far Frozen becoming skittish of their lands being encroached upon isn’t in short supply”. 

Danny nods strongly, tapping his chin, “put in a request for ColdStep to move the Frost Blazes land warning marker, to be placed a half moons flight away from the Wrought Crystal Silk Road’s entrance and to the left of the Levina Whistler. As well as placing a watchers talisman on the marker yourself”, Danny snaps his fingers, “oh, and I’ll go light the Defted Lands on fire in a couple days. That ought to avoid them straying their cannon fire too far towards Silfee territory”. 

The Fright Knight kneels, bowing deeply, “as you request, my king”, standing back up before bowing again, “you endeavourings fit the flavours of belittlement, brazen comedy and wild absurdity; like always”. Danny chuckles, “yup, and ain’t the Defted lands gonna be ripened to vapour wines shortly. Funny thing that’ll be, anyone still fighting will suddenly find themselves far too drunk to aim”.

The Fright Knight barks a laugh, “most assuredly”. The Fright Knight turns back to face the two agents, “and you, living mortals, regardless of where my presence be, or the presence of my eminence. You shall be cut down for your desired disgracing actions, should you act on them. And, for your given contempt towards the great highness, you will be allotted no mercy should such events come to fruition”. 

The Fright Knight only chooses to dignify them with the sight of his glaring for a little longer before returning his attention to his majesty. Swiftly hopping onto Nightmare’s back, “at your graces call I shall always be, my servitude is granted yours keep. Frosted death keep thee and, for thy alone, life’s bite keep thee marked. Till many moons and under you high king sway, High Ghost King”.

Danny tilts his head down slightly, “blazing death keep thee and life’s bite never mark thee. Till lesser moons and under thine oath, High Dread Knight Fright Knight, High Steed Nightmare”. 


	5. Getting Lairs Home, WITHOUT Any Disrepair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the fuck's Sam and Tucker? Here, that's where. And they might just be a little too protective

As everyone watches as the Fright Knight and Nightmare fly off, Dash mutters, “what the fuck...Fentaco”. Blatantly confused by Danny speaking all regal like. 

Red pushes Danny’s shoulder, “wow Danny, not sure if that was political or war talk but you go”, Red looks him up and down, shaking her head, “the whole look is still a bit much. And I still can’t believe this shit. It’s still “what the fuck Danny” worthy”.

Both Star and Kwan run up to Danny, basically dragging Dash along, exclaiming, “wow! That was so cool!”. Kwan elbows Dash, “come on man! It’s sweet”, muttering then, “though kind of messed we’ve been shoving a king into lockers”. Dash glares at Danny’s cape, “Fentable‘s still just a scrawny loser. Nothing could make him cool”. 

Danny tilts his head back, groaning to himself, “is this guy even capable of not being a twat? Like fuck man”. Tilting his head back down and giving Dash a loose smirk, “Baxtax, yes I did just bastardise your last name, I’m quite literally the most powerful person of the Human Realm. While you’re just a regular lived mortal human boy, I think my kingly ass is cooler by default. Anyway, home time”. Kwan pretty well has to put Dash in a headlock to keep him from assaulting their ticket home. 

Danny flops back down on the ground, crossing his legs. Speaking, slightly annoyed but amused, as he closes his eyes, “since everyone’s gonna pester me about this crap, just shush for now. Big portals actually do take some level of effort”. Danny smirks as Red, blatantly ignoring Danny's request for silence, snorts and mutters, “he says that like making a fucking portal is a piece of cake”. 

“Oh it is, here anyway. There’s enough free-floating ectoplasm here to make shit for days. It’s fairly easy in certain areas of Amity aswell. But most places elsewhere? It’d be easier to gargle glass than make portals bigger than my body”. 

Ms. Teslaff frowns, “even I’m beginning to see your phrases are concerningly messed up, Fenton”.

Danny flicks open one eye as a swirling green begins to coat the sky, the town air becoming thick with swirling green mist and floating liquid ectoplasm. Danny chuckles, playing with the ectoplasm in the air, “well then, aren’t I just ghoulishly ghastly”. Danny shuts his eye as he opens the portal, so no one would see his green ass eyes. Muttering, “hold on, I won’t be so rocky a trip as that pixie dust turned magic carpet ride into face fucking my secrets, but still”. Danny only waits a few seconds before yanking the portal over the town, sending the town through it and back to the Human Realm. Smirking, amused, as it’s clear a few didn’t take his warning or were too slow. Listening as a few pick themselves up off the ground or grumble about forming bruises. “If you wanna blame anyone for concussions or whatever, I’m sure the winery has a few sales and I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind leading the attempted, but not really, drowning of two Snow White’s who are not the fairest of them all”. 

Danny stands and pats off his pants before opening his eyes. Promptly getting hugged by his mom, who rubs her cheek against his “oh thank you, sweetie! I’m glad we’re out of that filthy place!”. Danny grumbles, “would have been out faster if y’all coulda hushed it, shushed it, and rushed it. But naw, wasn’t y’all’s style”. Danny pushes his mom off him, holding her shoulders while his cape’s lounging over his arms, “and my Kingdom’s hardly filthy, it cleanses itself quite nicely”. 

Maddie blinks at him a bit, before placing one hand on his hand, “I, um, sorry sweetie. But it’s filled with those things, and I still don’t get the why. Why take this role? Why claim it? Why lead, rule those things?”. Danny looks around, some folks are just fucking off back home or to hang out. Some of whom are actively avoiding him for sure. But most stick around, blatantly curious about him. But only a few are curious enough to stay/be close, and even fewer to actually speak up. 

Mr. Lancer walks up to Danny, looking down at him, “I would like to know that as well, Daniel. You hardly ever seem the type for any kind of responsibility, considering your school efforts and attentiveness. Yet I can hardly think of anything more burdening with responsibility than that of leading a country, an entire world even more so”.

Danny rubs his neck, cape slipping off one shoulder, “tell me about it. But it’s kind of different, ghost royalty and leaders aren’t the same. The jobs easier actually. Paperwork is not a thing for one, the Ghost Zone is and ghosts are pretty well self-governing. Being The Ghost King is more like being a freakishly respected meddling and mingling watchful guide and protector”. Mr. Lancer mutters about how that sounds like more, not less, work. While Danny taps his chin, “I guess there’s a lot of aspects. Sometimes I’m a therapist, sometimes advisor, sometimes negotiator, sometimes babysitter, and sometimes warrior. Heh, well, it all comes naturally sooooo”.

Danny grabs his mom’s hand, patting it, “today’s been a load of ghost alicorn shit but the why is just cause it was the right thing to do. That, and I’m a reckless basket of straight strange. It was my right, my claim. How could I say no? What reason would I have to refuse?”, Danny sighs, his parents' intolerance towards ghost was frustrating and damn stupid. 

“But they’re ghosts sweetie, that’s the ghost zone? This”, Maddie gestures at the crown and flaming cape collar, before bunching some of the capes plush and velvet in her hand, “it’s like you’re one of them, like you’re ghostly. You are ghostly, because of this claim you took. You’re walking, conversing, existing; amongst ghosts. And you’re just a kid, a human kid. Yet this, it’s making you live like a ghost”.

Red mutters that she’s just gonna go, muttering about getting back her damn visor while officially feeling rather awkward and not wanting to blow her cover to Maddie. Though Danny doubts he’s really gonna miss her presence, easily seeing Sam and Tucker running over in the distance. 

Mr. Lancer goes wide-eyed, putting a hand on Danny’s shoulder, “you lack in your schooling because you’re putting effort towards this Ghost King thing”. Danny nods, earning a disapproving glare from his mom but catches Mr. Lancer's faint smile. Danny’s not really being honest here but hey, when someone handpicks your bullshit get-out-of-a-reveal-free card; you fucking take it. Mr. Lancer nods, “well clearly you care. So I can’t complain. I wish you well in your endeavours. As unusual and ghostly as they may be, though somehow I feel I should have expected you’d go down a path far too strange for regular schooling to do you much good”. 

Danny chuckles, “if it’s anything, I do have to be educated on pretty well everything in the Ghost Zone. That’s some kind of schooling”.

Tucker speaks as he aggressively throws his arm around Danny’s neck, making the flames flare up, “yup! He’s the strangest! But that’s freaking awesome!”. Mr. Lancer smirks before stumbling back as Sam practically jumps on Danny, slinging her arm around his neck too, “you stupid idiot! There had got to be a million other ways to fix this fuck up!”. Mr. Lancer shakes his head, hiding a chuckle, as he walks off, waving over his shoulder. The trio watches him go while Sam mutters, “thanks tho...”. 

It doesn’t take long for Maddie to speak up again, both unimpressed and worried, “Danny....”.

Danny mentally groans before looking to his mom, while his friends tighten their grip around his neck, basically sandwiching him between them. Bunching his cape up horribly and practically pushing the collars flames in his face. Speaking, muffled, as the flames obscure his mouth and dance in front of his eyes, “gurfs lift murch, lurk tuf srphek”. Danny spits out bits of cold flame while his friends apologise and give him a little wiggle room; not much though, just enough so he’s not getting a mouth full of cold fire. 

Maddie tries not to be bothered by the flames reflecting in her son’s eyes as he talks, “mom, I know. This is all very ghostly. But that’s damn fine I’d say. I’m happy, if a bit weird and messed up”. Danny shrugs to get his friends to loosen up even slightly, but they don’t; which just makes the act of shrugging slightly painful. Flicking his eyes upward to reference his crown, “this has more worth, meaning, importance, value; than human schooling. It’s a choice I made, recklessly sure, but it’s mine and I like it that way. So I guess just, like, take that knowledge and not be pissy? Maybe? If you could? Yeah, that’d be great”.

The two stare each other off for a beat before Maddie sighs, “but it’s so...ghostly. Ghosts are evil...this, it’s wrong. Like being the lord of evil....”. Danny blinks finding that sounding like one hell of an escalation and rather absurd. Almost like she was trying to call him the freaking devil. Which well, some did see the Ghost Realm as the underworld so ‘devil’ wasn’t exactly far off. Quirking his mouth up, “uuuuuuhhh...is that a no?”.

Sam puffs her cheeks out, forcing Danny to squint his right eye. Sam snaps, “ghosts aren’t damn monsters. They’re good and bad, just like humans”. Tucker nods and glares defiantly at Maddie, “and Danny dude is, like, the goodest fucker around”. 

Danny mutters, “that’s not a word Tuck”, shaking his head as much as he can, “but anyway...”. Danny locks eyes with his mom again and taking a step closer to her, dragging his friends along in the process. Sighing, “evil isn’t a thing, not really. And yeah, I am one of them in a sense. Definitely ghostly and, considering your guy’s profession, defiantly so. And yeah, all of this makes me more ghostly than even some ghosts. Many actually”, Danny spins around his ring, prompting Maddie to glance at it quickly, “I’ve got more ghostly power in the palm, or well finger, of my hand than they do. But it’s cool, I’m cool, we’re all cool. Well...you’re not, not really”. 

Maddie shakes her head, glancing back down at his ring before speaking, “how could I be ‘cool’ with this? How can you be? Being made ghostly, even if still living, even if still breathing with a beating heart; how is that remotely ok?!? You live, but this is making you live like a ghost!”. 

Danny grumbles into his collar flames, “nothing can make me do shit”, chuckling and laughing quietly, “cause I’m da boss”. Shaking his head and clearing his throat, “er, um, no. I willingly chose, opted in, decided towards, agreed to; this. Nothing is making me do anything, again, I am not and was not forced into shit. This shit is my own shit, by right; and right’s always a choice in the end of shit. I’m with the ghosts, my people, my subjects, my citizens; on this, with this. I could say vassals or underlings but that wouldn’t be quite right”, chuckling, “they don’t exactly act subordinate”. 

“They would if you actually exerted control, you’re too soft boy”. 


	6. This Ones Already Had The Fight Taken Out Of His Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As expected, the GIW are still idiots. As expected, Vlad was up to shit. And Danny wouldn't be Danny if he didn't get hurt at some point.

Danny snaps his head to the side, his mom whirling around, as a heavily bleeding Vlad Plasmius staggers away from a building. Sam and Tucker both slide off Danny, Sam crossing her arms and Tucker pointing with mock aggression at Plasmius. While Maddie pulls out and points an ectoblaster, Danny tilts his head back and groans. Groans loud enough to make everyone still around look at him, confused. Danny speaks loudly at the sky, “now what the hell? This is just brilliant”.

Tilting his head back down towards Plasmius as Danny forms a shield behind himself, easily deflecting an ectoshot from one of the GIW agents. Danny doesn’t even acknowledge their little attempt before addressing Plasmius. Taking in the older halfas ectoplasm splattered form, “the fucks got you lookin like rats were gnawing at you, like the cheese head you are, for weeks?”.

Plasmius grumbles and glares at Danny, “well let’s see, an entire city was dropped on my head after getting damn well blinded by a portal the size of an absurdist supernova”. 

Danny barks out a single laugh before glaring right back, “exaggeration. But better question, why are you here”. 

“You say that like it’s an accusation of guilt”.

“With you, it always is”, Danny steps forward, putting himself in front of his friends, while his mom goes and socks agent L in the face for trying to shoot her son. Danny smirks as he overhears her growl, “you were warned”, before Danny snaps at Plasmius, “what were you doing, old man”. 

Danny doesn’t even have to wait for a response as agent G gives him what he was asking for, like a complete idiot; which is pretty expected from one of them. Agent G points at Plasmius, slightly surprised, “you! You’re the ectoentity the commander followed to those powder canisters! We destroyed you!”. The agent rubs his face, looking and sounding a bit manic, “you, you tricked us?! So we’re not at fault! We’re not at fault! Hahaha”. 

Danny sighs, “figures”, Danny points over his shoulder at the laughing, and potentially brain-damaged, agent, “I think ya broke him Vladdie”. 

Plasmius huffs before attempting to fly off, preferring to avoid the young badgers' wrath while being in this weakened state. Though he gets yanked out of his mental mussing about Daniels absurd, yet so often untapped, power. When he gets shot by a high power ectocannon, too injured to really do anything other than flop unceremoniously on the ground. 

Danny facepalmed as soon as Maddie got off the shot, pushing his hand into his face even more aggressively as she snaps, “ghost! So this was your fault! You ectoplasmic waste of human post consciousness!”. While agent L groans on the ground and agent G is still lost to his bout of lunacy. 

Sam and Tucker both give Danny glances of pity while he sighs, “and we were starting to get somewhere...”. Both of them cringe and facepalm themselves, as they hear Danny push his hand into his face so hard that he breaks his nose.

Danny blinks as blood drips down his face and off his chin, “well that’s a first. I have officially had a day that has finally heaped on enough bullshit to become worthy of accidental self-harm, that wasn’t caused by some fight shit”. 

“Or you forgetting where you’re walking”.

“Or you holding knives wrong”.

“Or you swallowing solid objects”.

“Or you-”.

Danny cuts his friends off, “I get it!”. Whipping his arm across his nose, and hand down his face. Mostly just smearing it around rather than effectively wiping it off. Adjusting his nose bones so it actually heals right, before walking behind Maddie; whose got her gun cannon blaster thing, with some name Danny didn’t bother memorising, pressed into Plasmius chest. “Uh, could you, like, not?”, Danny sighs as he stands behind his mom, looking down at her kneeling form before she aggressively jabs a small ectogun into Plasmius head.

Plasmius, meanwhile, is staring, mouth slightly ajar, at Daniel prancing around in his kings-wear in town with blood streaked on his face. 

Danny sighs again, pinching a bit of his moms' suit around her wrist and lifting her arm/hand up. Relieving the ectoguns pressure on Plasmius head. While Maddie just blinks at her son’s hand, thrown off by the show of strength. Danny leans forward to have his face in front of Plasmius’s, frowning, “what’s up Vampy. Now I really don’t doubt you had some hand or bullshit in this, so what the hell could you have to possibly gain by getting those twats to powder-fuck everything to the Ghost Zone. I mean, certainly, the town squashing you under its heel wasn’t the goal”, Danny gives a shit-eating grin, blood tracing over some of his teeth and lips, “you’re not that much of a masochistic glutton for punishment”. 

Vlad glares, looking slightly disgusted, “that wasn’t the goal at all Daniel”. Danny and Maddie easily hear him grumble, “only you were meant to be sent off, but those fools probably messed that up”.

Danny straightens up and laughs, exaggeratedly wiping away a fake tear only to accidentally smear blood around his eye, “oh wow! What’d you expect? That’s practically their job!”. Danny leans back down and pats Plasmius mockingly on the cheek, “but naw, shits all on you. You frootloopy fuck”, standing back up and shrugging exaggeratedly, “they explained how the stuff’s supposed to work and really, there’s no way it wouldn’t have sent everything to High Hell. I mean, Ancients, you can’t teleport a lair keeper out of their own lair that way. You’ll just ass fuck off the whole damn place. Like really, this level of stupid isn’t becoming, or whatever, of you, Batshit”. 

Plasmius mutters, “I swear he's going out of his way to make up as many insulting names for me as possible”. Plasmius clears his throat while Danny chuckles, “well duh. You are completely deplorable”.

Plasmius forces down a wince as Maddie pushes the gun further into his stomach, “answer my son, you ectoscum”. 

Danny walks off slightly to grab a bit of debris while Plasmius responds to her, “now Maddie, I’m sure we can be-”, only to be cut off by Danny dropping a rather large chunk of cement on his head. While both Sam and Tucker fall over laughing, Dash and Kwan both gape.

Kwan stutters, “s-so he c-can fight back, heh”. Dash grumbling mockingly, “what, does ‘his highness’ think I’m not worth the effort”. Both boys jump as Danny snaps his head around, talking with a wide grin, “yup. That about sums it up”. 

“Why you little!-Fentax!”.

Danny ignores the two boys as Kwan holds Dash back, “dude, are you insane? Pretty sure he’s about to give a freaking ghost a verbal lashing...not to mention that he’s just ignoring the blood on his face”. 

“Soooo”, Danny taps at his chin, “my mom could just shoot you....again. Not really sure why she’s not”. Maddie doesn’t even take her eyes off Plasmius as she responds, “because, I want answers for why the hell some ghost is toying with my boy”. Both Plasmius and Danny blink at her before Danny slowly lifts up a bit of his cape and slowly looks down at it, “uh....I think the why goes without saying at this point”.

Maddie just growls at Plasmius, who gulps faintly. 

Danny rolls his eyes, muttering, “and everyone calls me out for being a growly little shit. Eh, whatever”. Danny glances around discreetly, only Sam and Tucker are actually closely watching him at this point; though there’s definitely a good portion of the town watching this little ‘conversation’. 

Danny leans down, getting his face up in Plasmius’s; enough so that no one else’s could see Danny’s face and so Plasmius could definitely smell the blood, Danny doesn’t make a habit of assuming everyone else’s senses were as good as his own. Letting his eyes change to green and blaze with threatening energy, his crown also blazing threateningly, as he pats Plasmius chest just below his neck and above the barrel of his moms ectocannon thing. “Now now, no need for all that tension. You’ll throw your back out, old fart. Now what to do about this little transgression against my homely home. I’m sure you are aware that doing such against the whole of someone’s lair is rather, heh, problematic”, Danny grins devilshily, pushing his fingers hard enough to bruise Plasmius collar bone, “especially mine. I am rather...protective. And you are irking that”.

Plasmius pales a bit, getting on the bad side of any ghosts, half-ghost or not, obsession wasn’t really smart. Especially on such large, even if accidental, scale. Not to mention that Daniel has clearly had some secret or another ousted. 

Plasmius promptly stiffens and clenches his teeth as Danny condenses ectoplasmic energy around his core and pulses it, disrupting Plasmius’s core just enough to be extremely unpleasant and painful. Maddie backs off slightly, unsure of what’s going on, as Plasmius grits out, “point taken... your majesty”. 

Danny closes his eyes and pats Plasmius chest above his core, making the guy wince, “oh now that’s a rare thing, getting you to not sound like a pompous conniving twat”. Danny grabs Plasmius’s arm as he stands up, dragging Plasmius off the ground while opening a portal. Smirking at the barely standing man before tossing Plasmius in, “enjoy the snow tundras! I’m pretty sure Kempler's favourite show just ended! Be a dead dear and cheer him up for me!”. 

Danny laughs, closing the portal to the sounds of crying and screaming. 

“You just...let him go?”, Danny turns around to his moms disbelievingly comment. While she yelps, “sweetie! Your face!”.

Danny smears his arm under his nose again, flicking off bits of slightly dried blood, before sighing, “it’s fine, I’m fine, we're all fine. Well, Plasmius is not. And I wouldn’t say ‘let him go’. No, in his state he won’t be getting away for a day or two. And frankly”, Danny intentionally shudders for comedic effect, “I’d rather be beaten within an inch of my life than be stuck with Kempler for even an hour”. 

Sam and Tucker walk over, grumbling. 

“I’d rather watch _someone_ vore a damn spork, again, and still use it to eat a pound of flowers. For two hours. While frequently re-swallowing the spork”. 

“I’d rather eat that pound of flowers”.

Danny taps his chin and grins devilishly, “I’ll keep that in mind next time you steal the game controllers, Tuck”. Now it’s Tucker’s turn to pale, “please don’t”. Sam smirks, “please do”.

Danny puts his hands behind his head, looking at the sky, while Sam and Tucker go off at each other. Until Maddie tugs on his arm sleeve, “hmm?”, tilting his head down, “uh, what is it, mom?”.

Maddie pulls out a handkerchief and starts cleaning Danny’s face off. Danny grimaces, “mooooom!”, but lets her clean him off. Maddie grumbles about shooting whoever hurt her boy, eliciting Sam to chuckle, “you better not shoot Danny”. Maddie squints incredulously at Danny who blushes slightly, “there was just such a level of stupidity and bullshit that my hand just had to face fuck me”. Tucker smirks, “aka, you’re too strong for your body”.

“Shhhhhh”, Danny goes to place a bloody finger over Tucker’s lips but Tucker bats it away disgustedly. 

Maddie, meanwhile, fiddles with the ruined square of fabric before glancing at the ground where the ghost had been, “sweetie, all of that was...kind of...threatening. And why’d that creature stiffen like that?”. 

“Heh, well I was hurting him. That’s kind of how people, ghost or human, react to pain”, Danny rubs his neck, ignoring his moms surprised expression, “normally I wouldn’t be so harsh but well, that one never learns and is far more of a thorn in my side than most”. 

“So you’ve ‘interacted’ a lot then”.

“Yeah and um-”, Danny cuts himself off and whirls around to the two agents trying to sneak off, “oh no, I don’t think so. I’m not about to give y’all lowkey heart attacks but...”, Danny trails off as he runs off after the, now fleeing, men. 

Tucker chuckles, “so that’s what he did”. Spotting Maddie looking towards him with a curious expression, he sighs. Sam elbows him, whispering, “that’s what you get for opening your trap”. 

“Tucker, what do you mean? Giving someone a heart attack isn’t possible, especially a ghost. Darn things are completely heartless”. 

Tucker puts his hands up, “look, Ms. F. We’re all kind of tired of the anti-ghost stuff”. Sam butts in, “especially Danny”, Sam grumbles to herself, “but Danny won’t ring her out too much for it, he’s too kind for that”. Tucker chuckles, “yeah. Though, like really cut it out. But...that is possible, the giving heart attacks thing, for Danny anyway. He can pretty well do anything. But core attack is more accurate here”.

“Core attack?”.

“Yup! Don’t ask me how really. But...he vibrates the ghosts core in a way that messes it up for a beat. We’ve seen him pull that before, pretty well incapacitates ghosts from the pain alone. Though-”, Tucker gets cut off by a snowball to the head. 

Danny walks up dragging two unconscious agents, glaring with a slight amount of humour, “Tuck, do you ever know when to shut the fuck up? I could do WITHOUT hunters, even if one is my mom, getting any more funny ideas”. All three of them look down at the men as Danny drops them on the ground. Tucker pointing at them and raising an eyebrow. Danny rubs his neck, “they looked behind them while running, slammed into a wall. Ate dirt, choked on concrete, gargled marble, and last but not least, face fucked stone”. Kicking agent L, “this guy broke his nose”, kicking agent G, “this one managed to both shatter his eye socket and dislocate his jaw”. Looking back up at the three and shrugging, “reformed G’s eye socket but L can live with the nose deformation. All in all, I think they punished themselves”. 

“Sooo, what are we going to do with them, dude?”.

“What do you mean by not wanting hunters to have more information? Danny...”.

Danny internally groans at his moms' tone, rubbing his neck, “I’m the king of ghosts mom, having more information out there that could harm them or the Ghost Zone is not something I want. That’s kinda the opposite of good”. Turning to his friends, smirking, “this”.

They’re only confused for a second until a pissed off looking taxi driver pulls up, stopping so that Danny can toss the men into the taxi trunk. Danny chuckles as the taxi speeds off, “that’s gonna be a long and cramped ride, dude pretty well swore to everything that he’d make it the bumpiest ever”.

Sam and Tucker both nod, “good”. Sam turns to Maddie, “so, you’re not going to give Danny a hard time about all of”, gesturing to Danny’s cape and crown, “this? Are you?”. Danny tilts his head to the side and grumbles, “only for, like, the past forever”. 

But Danny’d rather not have Sam and his mom go bickering about shit, so he straightens up some, “anyway uh, it’s late and shit so I vote for letting me embrace my bed”. 

Tucker snickers, “like you’re actually gonna sleep”.

“I can try can’t I?”.

Sam elbows Tucker, “lucky Mr. Royal bombastic over here hardly needs it”. Danny groans, “tell me about it! I’d be even more dead on my feet!”.

Maddie raises an eyebrow but Danny grabs her wrist, “so home!”. Waving at Sam and Tucker as he practically drags Maddie home. Maddie watching where she steps so as to not trip on Danny’s cape, while Sam and Tucker exchange slightly worried glances. 


	7. The In-between, Finally, Gets His Caffeine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has a heart to hearts.

“Well that was exhausting”, Danny grumbles as he closed the house door. Turning around and being confused for a second as to why the house is bright even though the lights are off. Chuckling, “oh yeah, duh”, before blinking his crown and cape out of visible range once more, “fire makes light, duh”. 

But this action seems to startle Maddie, “oh! Um, is it weird that I’ve become slightly used to that, um, stuff, on you”. 

Danny can’t help beaming a little over that, “good! That’s great, I think. It is, sorta, part of me. Always here, just not visible or touchable”. 

“So they’re always on you?”.

“Yup”, Danny shrugs, “kind of like having bullshit anime enchanted clothing or like how ghosts don’t ever really change their clothing. How their clothing is part of their form, their bodies, beings, selves. Being royal, being king, is an enchanted thing really. So it only makes sense, I think”. 

Maddie goes and sits down on the couch, bunching up the jumpsuit fabric on her knees. Danny sighs, officially just begging for this day to end, before sitting down. “Look, I get that this is all kinds of screwy and backwards to you, to everything you know and believe. But, like, you don’t have to understand, do you? Like, can’t you just accept my thing? Me? I’m a lot of crazy and a lot of things. King? Yeah. Teenager? For now. Weird? Definitely. Powerful? Technically. But I’m also your son, Danny. That should matter most”. 

“It does sweetie, it does. But it’s just all so ghostly. Though, admittedly, it does seem like it suits you. The clothing, not the ghostliness”. 

Danny chuckles, “the clothing is ghostliness, but yeah ghost stuff’s kinda like that. When something’s yours, yours by right, it’s literally made for you. Heck! It’d be insulting if it didn’t fit me. If it didn’t improve the way I look. That’s half the point of things like capes and crowns. Symbols of power but also elegance, all that shit. If it looked out of place, silly or cheap then it would not be doing its job”, looking to Maddie, “just like I’m not doing my job if I don’t protect and aid them. If I don’t get their respect and sometimes fear”, muttering, “everything’s gotta be fearsome with tha ghosties”.

Maddie looks her son up and down, not really buying that he could be scary even with the threatening air he had earlier. Danny squints at her, “tsk, don’t look at me all disbelievingly. I’m perfectly fearsome, enough anyway. When I wanna be. Try to be”, shrugging, “guess it depends who you ask”. Maddie giggles and Danny’s sure she misunderstood that. But that’s fine, he doesn’t exactly want her to see him as scary; even if some ghosts always considered him scary. The price of power and being known to be a fighter. 

Danny rubs his neck and looks around a bit awkwardly as he gets up, “soooo. I’m guessing I don’t have to worry about you calling me your highness or referring to me as a king, all the time? Cause as much as that’s true, I could do without being constantly called as such or having it pointed out perpetually”, groaning slightly, “I get enough of that from Mr. Big dark and frightening”. 

Maddie puts on a smile, though laughs genuinely if only a little. Getting up and patting his shoulder, mentally picturing the cape that she now knows is there, “that’s one thing you don’t have to worry yourself about. Just hearing someone call you that is strange enough”. 

“Well, for potential future reference...I prefer king over the long list of other things I get called”, Danny shakes his head, genuinely wondering if the Fright Knight straight up searched for newer and grander ways to refer to his kingliness. “Though I guess ‘your majesty’ is fine too. Little weird to get from humans, but Tuck has no mercy”. 

“Tucker calls you that?”.

“Jokingly yeah. We all make jokes about it. About ghosties too. About my ghostliness and utter lack of it. I’m kinda like the most ghostly alive thing, but also sorta the least ghost ghostly thing. Which, ironically, scares some ghosts. Cause it’s like, fuck this fucker looks so freakin lively and then bam! freakish amount of ghostly power. Ghosties with power usually look it and me, well...”, Danny trials off chuckling and exaggeratedly motioning to himself. 

Maddie can’t help but look him over, searching for anything even kind of implying power, utterly failing. Which she’s not sure if she’s should be happy about or not, the clothing was pretty well all the showed who he was, “all your ghostliness is just a job and some clothing...though you’ve shown power too”, Maddie shakes her head, smiling slightly, “and I guess you do look rather unassuming without it all being visible. Considering how no one really thought you could even be any kind of king”. 

Danny wiggles his fingers, thickening latent ectoplasm into globs to twirl between his fingers, laughing, “I noticed! Like do I really seem like that much of a simple plain little fuck? Sure Tuck and Sam are damn weird, and very noticeably so; making me look more normal by association. Especially when I actively hid this shit for obvious reasons. Cause, like, Ancients is shit gonna be some absurdist bullshit now. I’mma get peppered about the job, the title, my position, my duty, the purpose to my messed existence”. 

Maddie pats him on the back, “you’re probably right sweetie, school’s going to be a bit weird for a while. Though I hope you don’t get harassed too much. Though I definitely do not like the behaviour I saw from that Baxter kid”.

Danny grins wide at that, “most kids don’t like him. Guys a twat jerk. Chances are, I’ll go all royal ghostliness bullshit on his ass at one point...again. He’ll just know it’s me this time, which might be awful or freaking great. So more ghostly shit at school I guess”, blinking some and looking to Maddie, “and more ghostly here? I mean I, like, go out of my way to not with that shit. But y’all freaking know now so?”. Even if he hasn’t explicitly talked to his dad about this but there’s no way the guy wasn’t going to know. Hell! The whole town was going to know about his kingly ass AND the lair thing. 

Maddie frowns a bit, looking at the ectoplasmic residue on Danny’s fingers, “sweetie, that might be a bit much right now. King, ghost king at that. It’s going to take some time to let that settle in first”, Maddie smiles slightly, “though I’m certain your father will pester you over your abilities”.

Danny chuckles, “I’ll make a list. Or not, cause us teens are lazy by nature; and I rarely get to do that shit. No nap naps for me, nope. The wonders of being part of two societies. Though fuck, in a way I’m more part of and active in ghost society than human society. Here I hang and school shit, the family fun time. But there it’s, like, gots ta do shit, big shit, all the shit. I’m legit needed and have things only I can pull. Here’s still home though, so don’t, like, worry about me fucking off to the Zone or something”. 

Maddie yanks Danny into a strong hug, “good! If you ran off, especially there, I’d have to chase you down and drag you back. You’re no ghost. Your subjects or not, you’re not one of of them”. 

Danny returns the hug and pats her back, though a bit put off at the blatant distaste for ghosts; even if he’s rather used to it. Looking away from her anyway, “heh, in a sense I am one of them. Ectoplasmic power’s enough of a qualifier to them”, opting to take out his mild insulted annoyance on his favourite misplaced aggression, even if only verbally, “and that’s why Boxy gets so much shit, like really, how much of a ghost would anyone consider Boxy? Not much of one”. 

Danny taking a bit of a piss on the Box Ghost gets Maddie to chuckle and nod, “point. I think us ghost hunters are more ghostly than that one”, shuffling a bit, “I guess being a ghost hunter really isn’t your future, huh? Jack kind of always hoped you would become one, I always wanted you to do something that made you happy...but also safe. But a ghost-like life? I can’t like that. Can’t want that for you, whether you like it or not. And it’s definitely not safe”. 

Both of them sit back down on the couch, Maddie leaning against the couch. While Danny groans quietly while leaning sideways in an overacted show of exasperation, “you just gotta make this difficult”, righting himself and shaking his head, “well, it is what it is. My shits ghost shit. Ghostly or whatever. My place in life is with death. With the dead, even if my deadness is lacking. Which may just be dandy, might improve the relation between the races. Eh, prob not. If anyone knows just how straight-up different we all are, it’s my arse”, Danny snorts, “and me plus safety? Yeah that’s a pipe dream too. I’d probably be really bored with safe, actually. That’s not bad though. Cause, like, ‘not safe’ isn’t the same as ‘in danger’. Neither of us really live safe but we’re not in danger either. So yeah”. Danny bumps his shoulder into hers, “and you don’t have to support or like what I do. Just don’t try to stop me or punish me for it. Tolerance is just fine”.

Maddie leans her head against his shoulder, “I do want to stop you, stop this. I don’t want you ghostly. But I won’t stop you. Pretty sure I can’t”, tilting her head to look at Danny’s face, “and no way I’m going to even consider punishing you for this. Though I don’t like that you must have used our stuff to help ghosts at some point”.

Danny rubs his neck, of course he did but it was more so that he made it so their stuff couldn’t do harm, or too much harm. Sighing, “heh, yeah. Our jobs get in each other’s way. You hunt and thus harm ghosts. I lead and protect ghosts, well sorta. Would seem like it’d be hard to have those two things coexist. But they perfectly can, if the hunting is less destroy every single ghost ever and the whole Zone, and more protect the Human Realm from ghostly threats and dangers. Hunting and fighting ghosts is perfectly fine, good even. Wiping out the whole freaking species or damaging the Ghost Realm, not so much. As for the stopping me thing, thanks and all but yeah, you really can’t. Aim to be happy that I’m proud and doing what I want to”. 

Maddie’s not sure what to make of that, “you...as this ghost king...aren’t against ghost hunting? Ghosts are okay with being hunted? And I am glad you’re proud, just not glad over why you’re proud”. 

Danny chuckles, patting Maddie on the back, “yup! It’s expected actually. Hell, some come here _because_ they get hunted. They want to fight, to get attacked, to see others get attacked. Ghosts are weird fucks that way. Getting destroyed is the only aspect they avoid. Some hunters even work, knowingly or unknowingly, for ghosties. So no reason for me to be against ghost hunting in general. Plus I want humans to have defences against ghosts, some are really dangerous pieces of shit”. Danny chuckles into his hand, “on the other hand, I’m pretty sure Boxy has some level of masochism and he’s definitely got some power delusions”. Danny knows bringing that ghost up a lot makes everything funnier and lighter. 

Maddie laughs lightly, before standing back up, “well didn’t see that coming. Ghosts that like being hunted! But I’m firm on wanting ghosts destroyed, maybe...maybe not all of them. I’ll admit it’s obvious now, that I don’t know everything about ghosts. So I guess saying they’re evil might be a stretch. Even still, we both do or want things the other can’t really accept”. 

Danny nods, deciding against getting his hopes up over changing his moms' opinions. Getting up himself and walking to lean against the staircase, staring at the lab door, “yeah, and in that sense, I’ll have to stop you, get in the way. Which makes this shit way more awkward, cause I know you’ll hide what your shit does from me now. And that none of us will mention or acknowledge that I’m obviously making a point to know what your shit does, and that you’re obviously trying to avoid me knowing. Since we’ve got goals that butt heads. Two aggressive ass bulls, based in protecting respective species, dancing around each other and both playing the roles of matador”, chuckling, “then having supper together”. Looking to his mom as she frowns, obviously realising Danny’s right, “still family though, right?”. 

Maddie straight up walks up to Danny and ruffles his hair, “of course, always. Even if we’re on opposing sides of a battlefield. I’ll always love you, sweetie”. 

Danny rolls his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets. Responding with a loose smirk, “you say battlefield, I say sparing rings. People throwing hands at each other, making new shit, testing new shit. Both sides actively growing and learning by the acts of fucking with each other. With referees and captains watchin shit to make sure it doesn’t get too fucked”. Maddie laughs into her hand, “that is so not how it’s viewed on the human side!”, shaking her head, still smiling, “most of us hunters want elimination, we’re not just ‘having fun’ and testing our capabilities”. 

Danny can’t help but chuckle, was kind of hard to not know that when basically all the hunters he’s met practically, and sometimes literally, scream ecstatically about it. Chuckling again, “oh I know, but...ya really think the ghosties that human ghost hunters actually deal with in the Human Realm are really the worst, most vile, ghosts? Naw, fuck no. The real nasties are captured by ghosts. Are punished by ghosts. Like humans, ghosties deal with their bad eggs. The ghostly ideas of bad eggs are just more scrambled”, chuckling and leaning back, hands behind his head, “laws are a bit more fucky too. Especially if those Eyeballs get up in it. And if I get, like, officially called to deal with shit. Like Ghost King style. Then shit’s gonna get straight weird”. Danny snickers and mutters to himself, “I’m someone who makes creativity scary. My sight for it is straight whacky. Green is the colour of creativity, bitch. Fuckers see a boring wall, my ass sees making a bastard paint it all...with their own ectoplasm”, Danny taps his chin and snickers, “eh, ok that was a little dark”. 

Maddie ruffles his hair again, jarring Danny from his thoughts and mutterings. Flicking his eyes up to Maddie’s slightly concerned and worried ones, as she speaks, “something tells me I don’t want to know. I don’t want to dislike the things you do, or worry about what you’ve gotten yourself into”. 

Danny snorts, “yeah that’s for the best. A ton of my shit is a mess and messes are just painful to try to make order or sense out of. Let’s just leave it at the fact that we really are an inventive family and y’all aren’t the only ones flipping the bird to normal mindsets. Our enterprises are mutually strange”, patting her shoulder, “and please don’t worry about my shit. I’m good, it’s good. Just fine. Screwy but fine”,

Danny looks around, “soooo. Bed? Move on with life and just accept, tolerate, or whatever; the Spaghetti our existences, mainly mine, throws at the walls? Make art out of the pasta sauce stains?”. Maddie can’t help but laugh, “don’t assault supper!”, before hugging Danny. Danny snorts, “if anything will be doing the assaulting, it’ll be the food”. 

Danny watches her walk off into the kitchen, likely grabbing coffee. Which immediately makes him want some, because this has been a triple quadruple espresso worthy day. But he would like to actually maybe sleep, not just vibrate in his bed. The coffee aroma changes his mind though. Easily sneaking around his mom, snatching the pot for himself and throwing back the whole thing. While Maddie sputters and accidentally inhales the coffee that she, being a slightly more normal and civilised person, actually poured into a cup for herself. Danny just winks as he wipes off his chin and heads upstairs. All the while hearing her nuking her coffee cup, muttering about it being ice cold. He doesn’t even need to see her face to know she’s grimacing about him downing a near full pot of cold coffee.

Danny shrugs as he opens his room's door, muttering, “it’ll be ice cold by the time it’s down my gullet anyway”. 

* * *

Danny sighs knowingly, before chucking as he closes his bedroom door. Speaking as soon as he hears it click shut, “you can come out now”. Red slips in through the window that she was standing outside of, “guess you’ve gotta have self-awareness to deal with ghosts constantly. Even if you do it different”. 

Danny nods, sitting on his bed and patting for her to sit down as well. De-suiting, Valerie flops down, laying instead of sitting, “so, how long?”. Danny looks up to his ceiling, “just over two years now. So no, you weren’t dating a freaking king. Buuuuut, I was a prince at that time, didn’t know that myself though. Hooray for mutual blindness to ghost craziness”. Valerie snorts, “dating a prince huh? Dated the guy who’d come to lead the things I swore to destroy”. 

“Ya still gonna do that shit? Cause again, that’s kinda not cool. Rather not have your cute ass as my enemy”. 

“Enemies? Ha! Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Personally, I’d still like to see them blasted out of existence. But I can’t strive for that if you’re gonna be all crazy fucking ghost king. Like, I’ll say it again, what the fuck Danny? So no, I’m not gonna off all your subjects or try to off you. I could kick your ass though, just for the record”, Valerie pokes him hard, for emphasis.

Danny laughs, “you go ahead and think that. Good as you are, somethings are beyond you; my royal ass being one of them”, turning to look at Valerie’s face, attracting her attention enough to look back at him. Danny speaks up again, “but thanks. I know you hate ghosts and have your reasons, reasons better than just personal beliefs. You’re probably gonna keep that hate with you for a long time. Hates fine though, not, like, desirable, but fine”, chuckling, “and just a whole lotta fucks, like all the fucks, an absolute ton of fucks...heh, a kingdom of fucks”. 

Valerie snorts, turning her head back to the ceiling, “I could so kick your ass”.

“Nope”.

“Yup”.

“Naw”.

“Yes”.

“No”.

“Yeah”.

“Nu-uh”.

“Yuppers”.

Danny pokes Valerie, “‘yuppers’ doesn’t count, you’re out”, Valerie huffs while Danny shuffles, “though you really can’t. I’m not like Pariah, I’m not a mad king. I have full access”. 

“The fucks that mean?”.

“Powerful. It means powerful. Fully empowered. Power infinite. So long as I retain my complete sanity, I can not be truly beaten. My voice alone could completely disarm you, wipe your memories, scramble your DNA, etcetera”. 

“Danny...what the fuck”. 

Danny shifts a bit awkwardly, his power level was stupid strong. He’s sure even he didn’t really grasp it, which was a bit of a mind fuck. Chuckling, “heh, yeah”, sighing, “power’s, like, a focal point for ghosts. One of the biggest things they care about. Powerful means getting to continue existing, powerful means being better able to carry out obsessions, powerful means respect, powerful means fear. Power is practically a need for ghosts. So power is a given and a requirement for any ghostly leader or high up ghostly position, job, responsibility, duty, guide, yada yada. And my ass is the top of the food chain, I have to be stronger. I have to be the definition or embodiment or whatever the fuck, of ghostly power. My power has to be absolute and I have to be able to handle that shit, else I’m kingy no more. Not worthy of the position so to speak. So power resolute is my thing. An OP little shit. I don’t, or more so didn’t, mention my power shit cause, like, fuck. That’s shit’s not viewed the same by humans. Shows of power are fucking terrifying and worrying to humans. But ghosties? Gotta flaunt that shit actually, be a flashy powerhouse for no real reason sometimes. Not flaunting makes them worried and pissy. Just me pretending to be a weak shit, even in the human world, at school and shit; makes some pissy”. 

Valerie flops her arm over and smacks him, “you’re rambling. Rambling about power of all things. Fuck that’s ghostly”.

“Hey now. I gots ta be a little power focused. Did you not just hear my little spiel? Powerful gotta be powerful, cause powers damn near everything to ghostly asses”.

“Oh I fucking heard it. And you just said ‘power’ four freaking times, you fucking weird-ass. And so what? You have to literally be power? Like a fucking living weapon? That’s fucked. How does your anything handle that shit?”.

Danny blinks, for all accounts, he practically was a weapon. That was rather funny though, “HA!...fuck if I know. Though I tell ya, all that shit up inside me...fucking painful, yet alluring. My innards are like a damn pressure cooker, combined with an almost boiling over cauldron, and a balloon that’s constantly getting filled no matter how much air it releases thus only growing and is constantly taught to the point of exploding yet never able to. But all of that with a flash freeze of cold. Tolerating it is kinda like getting stabbed all over your body but having to not show it or flinch. But using the power is like burning yourself alive and liking it. Cause fuck does it burn so good, better than scratching any itch. And all that’s why Kings Madness is a thing, a thing with an official name. But I can tolerate a lot of bullshit, obviously. So can you”. 

“Wow, fuck your life”.

“Yup. Everything seems to agree with fucking my life”. 

Valerie just snorts in response. 

The two sit quietly for a bit while Valerie chews on her lip. Eventually speaking up, “so, um, you know why I broke up with you?”. Danny nods, “protect me from your ghost hunter shit. Well, pretty sure it was more so protect me from ghost shit in general”, Danny barks out a laugh, “and now here’s the irony! I’ve got twenty thousand more buckets of ghost shit than you. And I run around dumping it on myself, loving about seventy percent of it and hoping I literally drown in the shit, twenty percent of the time”. 

Valerie cringes, “ok first, ew. Second, what about the other ten percent?”.

“Five percent is wanting to make shit burn and the other five percent, well that’s just wanting to be wiped out of existence. Like just fucking off into the void of nothingness. Absolute emptiness. Just poof! Gone!”. 

Valerie’s almost tempted to be worried about Danny’s mental state, but of course his brain’s bound to be fucked. Ghost shit does that and his ghost shit is a major what the fuck. Plus, he’s a complete goof. So there’s a joking aspect to goddamn everything with him. “So, wanting to stay as you are, wanting to become a ghost, wanting to destroy the fucking world, and wanting to straight-up destroy yourself? That’s a whole lotta ways to say you want to suffer”. 

“Well I am the king of suffering, ring says so”, Danny points at her, “but I am no masochist”. 

Valerie snorts, “I’d hope not, otherwise I did something wrong while macking lips with ya...but you really weren’t kidding about the Ring of Suffering thing?”. 

Oh how Danny wishes he damn well was. But, he’ll take himself suffering over anyone else having the bear it, “Haha...no, fuck no. Suffering is my defining feature, I just don’t show it. That’s kinda the point of ‘must bear it and overcome it’. If people could easily tell I’d be fucking that up. Also, Tuck would say this is getting kinky”. 

“Fuck Tuck”.

“Tuck Fuck”.

“Ew”.

Danny snorts but gives a humoured grimace, “I don’t recommend checking that kid’s dreams out. And I extra don’t recommend actually going inside them”, Danny grumbles, “I will never be anyone’s damn maid to their fucking harem”. 

“I don’t wanna know. But I’m not surprised”, Valerie scrunches up her face some before sitting up and staring down at Danny. Danny quirks an eyebrow, “what?”. 

“It’s just, I just realised that it’s best you got this power problem. You’re too damn good to abuse it or even use it half the time. And you’re, like, actually respecting it and shit. Not too mention the pain and overflowing power tolerance crap. Pretty well everyone would just go on fucking powertrips, eliminate one species or another, show off, or the madness thing”, Danny nods as she flops back down and starts speaking again, “ignoring all the ghosts. Tucker just no. Sam would powertrip and control. I’d destroy shit. Your parents would probably destroy themselves. And imagine the nightmare of Dash? But you? You just go on with life like you’re not some kind of fucking god. Overseer of an entire freaking world and all in it. Like, what the fuck Danny”. 

“You have no idea just how bad Tuck is with power. Like, no idea. He makes people scrub his feet and tries to murder me. Add in enslavement, world domination, gladiator fights, pissing on everyone beneath him, I could go on. And Sam? Oh man, world domination and enslavement route for that one. Dash is, arguably, not that horrible. Still with the trying to murder me though. Well, and everyone else. Dad also always goes the murder me route......come to think of it, everyone always goes the murder me route”, Danny blinks and goes slightly wide-eyed and laughs, “fuck! _I_ went the murder me route...once...ok, twice...no, thrice. I guess I’m just really killable. Well, if I was killable anyway”, Valerie is mildly choking while Danny shrugs, “but me? As a whole? Eh whatever. I’m no god. My body can do weird shit, doesn’t stop me from falling asleep in class or forgetting my comb in my hair. I’m a fucking mess actually. My power bullshit is all that’s kept me from collapsing in on myself really. I go to eat some salad, swallow the spork. I try to go to bed, there’s a bomb under it for some reason. I actually remember to brush my teeth for once, it turns my teeth black. I actually go to class, the whole town gets fucked into another realm. I tell Dash to fuck off, get trapped inside a mirror. I pass a test, get teleported to an apocalyptic future. I am a mess. My power just exemplifies that, my power is a mess inside me and my life is a mess outside me. Oh yeah, my mind is clearly a fucked mess too, in case that wasn’t obvious”.

Danny shoots his arms and legs into the air, “I’m the trifecta of mess!”, before descending into caffeine-fuelled giggles. 

Valerie’s electing to just disregard Danny claiming he’s murdered himself, multiple times, as that makes zero sense. But as for the rest, “uh, I’m still hung up on the ‘if I was killable’ thing. But, uh, yeah you really are just kinda fucked up. Aren’t you?”.

“Heh...yeah. But fucked up is able to handle fucked up. So I guess that’s why I’m not all screwy with power-hunger and Kings Madness. And yeah, can’t really, like, die. Destroyed, annihilated, decimated, obliterated. Not options for me. Welcome to my stupid kingly bullshit of an existence. That’s um, why Frightmare said ‘you, mortal humans’ when talking to the lot of you. I’m, technically, not mortal”. 

“Again, what the fuck. But I guess that only makes sense. You literally have all power right? Which is still fucky, but even you called it that. So I guess that would include the power to transcend life, death and whatever ghosts have”. 

Danny chuckles, “humans have life, ghosts have death. But there are also terms like: unlife, re-life, eon over cross, shade. Then of course, there are the unlived ghosts but that’s a whole basket of confusing. Really there’s a lot of terms. But, um, the word for ones like me, is deathless and unfade(s). Immortal isn’t really used cause technically all ghosts are immortal, in a way, but destroyable. Deathless for the living who can not die. Unfade for the dead who can never be destroyed”. Danny’s not even going to get into the number of terms that have been made for him, living unfade, dead deathless, fadeless, frayed. He usually went with deathless unfade, but ‘undead’ was the term he found funniest. 

Danny sits up and puts his chin in his hand, prompting Valerie to sit up next to him. Valerie can’t help but find immortality kinda fucked up, “that’s actually pretty shit. Kinda-”, Valerie gets cut off by Danny, “I make a joke of it. Comedy! The perfect sprinkles for the vomit blueberry muffin that is my existence, perpetually getting ass fucked by the latest and greatest bullshit!”, finger gunning at her, “I can not die for your sins, so please, stop sinning”.

Valerie snorts, “you’re awful”, shaking her head as she gets up and hugs Danny, “well stay awful and messed up, not insane or mad or whatever. Not gonna start calling you highness or anything but thanks for not being a screwed up power-hungry king”. 

Danny shrugs, “don’t really gotta thank me for not being stupid and for handling my shit. It is my shit after all. I’m guessing you’re going though? Meaning I can sleep?”.

Valerie slams her hands onto her hips, “ass! But yes. Also fuck that’s weird that your first thought is sleep, after everything”. 

“Well, I’d rather be less dead on my feet, not more”. Both of them chuckle as Valerie summons her suit and flies out the window. 

Danny, spreading his limbs out all over the bed, “well I probably said something stupid. No scratch that, I definitely said something stupid. But whatever, just more bullshit onto the pile. More mess for this mess”. Danny chuckles himself to sleep, tangled in his sheets and drooling grotesquely. 

How...kingly. 

**End.**


End file.
